


The Third Maximoff

by enchantingkittengladiator



Series: The Yulia Maximoff Chronicals [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Siblings, Other, Protective Avengers, Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Siblings, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:33:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 24,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27144577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enchantingkittengladiator/pseuds/enchantingkittengladiator
Summary: What if the Avengers didn't find the last HYDRA base?What if Pietro and Wanda weren't the only enhanced?Or Maximoff's?What if the Avengers were going to take on their greatest challenge yet?What if she was a 13-year-old girl who had to live with them?What if she once tried to kill Clint and Nat, and nobody knew but them?What if she had trained in the red room?What if Nat treated her like a daughter?What if her name was Yulia Maxmoff?What if she wasn't a normal girl?What if she was known as the Angel of Death?What if her Best friend was Ruby Hale?What if she was doomed?What if she could see the dead?What if?{Civil War (?) - Endgame}
Series: The Yulia Maximoff Chronicals [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1981399
Kudos: 4





	1. Teaser

2014, 24 months ago

I was only 2 when the bomb hit. When I lost everything and everyone. When I last called a place home. When I was Normal. When I wasn't a monster. When I could see life and all its joy.

Before all this I was happy, I mean I was 2 but I was happy. I had a family. I was normal. I didn't have wings. I couldn't hear the dead. I couldn't do any of it.

I was drawn out of my thoughts by the sound of a baton hitting the bars that lay in front of me, each one met by a step, a sound that brought fear into my heart, a step that brought him closer to me. Him, my new capture, the one in charge here or at least of my section of the base, Agent Rumlow. My heart was beating sporadically, I don't know if it was the nerves or the latest chemical being sent through my veins by the experimentation and torture I was put through by the people who adopted me at the age of 2.

That was eight years ago, the day they adopted me. I was the only one of my family containing 5 people to survive the bomb they tell me. But I don't believe it, I feel Wanda and Pietro's energy. They're out there. But they're barely surviving.

2015, 14 months ago

Left, right, left, right, left, right. I kept this rhythm as my bandaged hands hit the weighted bag forcing it to move forward and backward like a pendulum inside a grandfather clock. When I finally stopped I wanted to collapse in a heap. But I knew better I know had to beat Katrina. If I didn't I would be punished. And I couldn't bear to feel the liquid fire burn through my veins again, not now, no now I know Wanda is alive. Pietro isn't but I still feel him sometimes, it's like he's watching over me, being an overprotective older brother.

I stood opposite Katrina on the mat, fists formed by my side ready to defend myself, knowing that the defensive is better than being on the attack. It was my best shot. At surviving. At not being forced down onto the chair, strapped down, the cold metal against my back. All I had to do was win.

Katrina made the first move. then the second, and third all I did was block till she ran out of part of her energy. I then placed on hit to her right ribcage, one to her neck and swept my leg behind hers knocking her over. My final blow was to her nose, I heard it click, I saw her eyes flutter shut. That was it. That was the moment I knew I had one, the moment that meant I wouldn't be put through experimentation again. Not for now.

Hopefully not ever.

I was wrong to hope.

I always am.

2016, Now

Now.

Now I am more than just different, I am a monster of my own making. I demon who looks like an angel. I long to disappear, to hide away. But I can't. They won't let me. They won't let me be 12, I have to be a machine. A monster.


	2. Chapter 1

October 31st, 2016

After training with Katrina and the experimentation that inevitably comes with it, I was trapped inside my room. My cell. 2 hours we lasted. 2 hours in the ring constantly going at each other, to no avail so they decided we both won. Except. We didn't.

We definitely didn't.

So I decide to escape.

But when?

How?

Where would I go?

Where even was I?

Who would I go to?

My mind raced with thoughts and possibilities as I started tapping out a message to Katrina through our walls. Hoping she'd come with me. Knowing she wouldn't.

It was hard knowing she had changed in just a few months. It was earth-shattering. Simply heartbreaking. We used to tell each other everything. Now I tell my walls. And cave inside my mind.

Forty-Eight hours. That was all it took for me to plan my escape. The next stage was the execution. Or it would be my own.

I mean it was an easy enough plan. It did involve a few potential deaths, but those assholes deserved it, after what they did to me. So, if I had to kill a few of them to get the hell out of here I did.

My world has already been destroyed so why can't theirs?

They've already destroyed so many, theirs deserves to be blown to smithereens. Sadly, I have no clue where to find the items necessary for gunpowder otherwise I would literally blow up their world.

The only question now is when?

Because I can't stand this place much longer. Not after what their people have done to my ancestors and me. Not after everything they've put me through. Not after the experimentation. Not after the broken childhood, they gave me. Not after what they did to Katrina. Not after what they did to hopeless people. To people who needed help. To people with no chance in this world. To people doomed by their choice of allies. To doomed people.

As I stood in front of the mirror in the communal lavatories, that had been my bathroom for 10 years, I tied my white hair off my face trying to form some sort of cohesive ponytail bun thing before turning on the tap in front of me and splashing water on my face. When I looked up into the mirror I swore I saw Pietro standing behind me and out of anger, frustration and so many more emotions I don't know the names of, I punched the old jaded mirror, forcing it to crack and splinter a thousand times over.

I peered up to the right-hand corner of the room I saw the annoying blinking of the security camera, they were watching, they always are. I watched as that light flickered out. I mentally take not to send Katrina a gift from wherever I go. But for now, I only have about 45 seconds before they realize their system broke down.

Putting one foot in front of the other I started running toward my room quickly grabbing the bag with all of my most important stuff, and the ring. That ring meant everything. Even if I had to drop everything else I would save that ring. I made it past Katrina's room as she ran out ready to come with me even though only 5 minutes ago she had said she'd rather die than go because she had no idea how to survive.

There was only 100 meters between us and the quinjet, we could finally make it. The sudden ring of bullets startled me but not as much as the thump of a body hitting the floor to my right. I couldn't look back. I can't look back. No matter what I can't look back. I have to go, get out of here. I looked. I shouldn't have.

"KATRINA!!!!" I screamed in horror as I took small steps back bringing my wings up around me to protect me from the bullets still soaring through the air.

Now I truly had to get out of here. All I had to do was make it to the hanger doors. 50 meters. That's it then there's the exterior guards to get past, but they may think I'm going out on a mission.

Like I said earlier I was wrong to hope. Why do guns have to be so... powerful? Evil?

My answer is that they are made by humans and everything made by humans, even when made with the best intentions, becomes evil.

I did make it out of the base but I still had no clue where the hell I was. Not that far below me I spotted a cluster of old buildings and a field just before them. So, I decided to land and ask someone or find a sign, anything.

The first thing I spotted was a sign painted with the words: Wantage. I spent the next two hours scurrying around trying to find some food, shelter and a map so I could figure out where Wantage was.

I had found a place to stay with the little money I had stolen from HYDRA, before crashing onto the bed, curling up and crying because everything was so fucking wrong with my life. But by morning I was letting the sunlight through the blinds only to find that it was past midday. I raced around the room getting ready to leave and get out of the sights of HYDRA.

I took the stairs two at a time as a ran down them making a beeline to the exit, while contemplating whether or not to jump dimensions to get away from them, finally deciding against it. Choosing instead to get on a bus going towards Didcot and trying to get on a train to London, from there hopefully I would be able to find a way back to Sokovia, hopefully being able to see Wanda again. That is if she remembers me. Or wants to talk to me. Or to see me. Or acknowledge I exist.

I hope that maybe she has a life I just can't, won't fit into. But maybe just maybe she'll be excited to see me and maybe she'll want her little sister in her life.

But again I know I'm wrong to hope

I always bloody am.

But maybe this time will be different because there is no HYDRA looming over me now.


	3. Chapter 2

As the trees rolled by the window, houses soard past and fields flashed past I could feel someone's eyes on my back.

I stumbled toward the back of the carriage toward the toilet. I scanned the seats for anyone who was trying not to draw attention to themselves. I didn't see anyone until I got to the door where I noticed a brunette male sitting reading a newspaper while his flip phone sat on the table in front of him. That's odd, I realized, knowing through missions that most people had things called smartphones not phones that flip anymore and most people don't read a physical newspaper anymore. So why was he? I questioned while closing the door to the carriage before heading to the toilet.

When I came back I decided to sit across from him, seeing as a man wearing a blue baseball cap with a weird beard and US air force jacket had taken my seat. So, I sat down across from him and pulled out my broken, old smartphone and began texting Ruby telling her the news that Katrina had died and began listening to the playlist me, ruby and Katrina had put together years ago, when contemplating killing Ruby's mother. The man started looking at me and out the window so it didn't look like he was staring at me. During this time I gave him barely any attention only enough to keep an eye on him, but I was focussing most of my attention on blocking all the tracking channels HYDRA could possibly use accept for the one only know to me, Katrina and Ruby. While also trying to calm down Ruby because everyone sees her as heartless and emotionless like they do me but I know the truth. I always will. She's my one of my best friends and will always be as she is the only other one left alive who knows what it's like to be raised by HYDRA.

When I was finished protecting my location on my phone I started staring out the window, which was useful due to the fact it was a reflective surface. I watched the brunette man text someone and as he placed his phone down the man who took my seat got a text looking my way through his sunglasses. The next stop was Paddington, where I had to get off so I gathered my bags and made sure everything was ready to go as soon as the train stopped at the station.

3 minutes that's only one song till I can get out of here and maybe away from these two blundering idiots who are drawing more attention to themselves that Ruby and Katrina pulled when were went undercover in a school two years ago, and they were wearing HYDRA uniforms on pink day. I noticed every little detail about their movements and body language. They were somehow affiliated with SHIELD and the person who destroyed my home 10 long years ago, I just couldn't figure out how.

The breaks of the train started to slow it down before it entered the station. This is my chance, I told myself, to be finally free of HYDRA. The only question remaining was how was I going to get to Sokovia.

I stepped out of the train carefully checking for any tails, making sure the two men from the train hadn't seen the way I went through the crowd, up toward the surface trying to get somewhere where I could see how to get to Sokovia and find my sister.

6 hours earlier...

Bucky's POV

"Why are we doing this again?" Sam asked as we sat down on the train to get ready for a mission Natasha had insisted we did, even though we were fugitives on the run.

"Because Natasha swears there's a HYDRA base here that's still operating and she swears she heard something on one of her old spy networks that someone was planning of escaping yesterday. She also thinks they had something to do with the red room. So we're doing this mission to put her mind at rest," I responded to Sam, suddenly glad that I remember barely any of my time in HYDRA.

"So, this girl is a potential deadly assassin who could kill us without us noticing, and the highly trained Russian assassin couldn't do this mission because..."

"Because if we have to enter the HYDRA base it's going to be too similar to the red room for her to enter without having a panic attack." Hoping I wouldn't either

"OK and we couldn't bring Wanda why?" Sam questions, arrogantly like he just solved world hunger.

"The girl... I actually don't know. Nat said something about them having a girls day and shopping for bras so I stopped listening," Sam raised his left eyebrow as if to say why stop there.

"Or Steve?"

"Steve had something else he had to do, Peggy." That last word barely leaving my mouth but Sam instantly knew what I was talking about, it hadn't even been 6 months since Steve, and the world, lost Peggy, and now they were back here it was only right that he visits her.

5 hour and 30 minutes later...

Sam's POV

We've been sitting on this train for hours getting off at every stop and getting back on the next compartment hoping to spot a near 13 year old girl and not look like two pedophiles in the process. When I suddenly spotted a girl who matched the description perfectly.

"I spot someone who meets the description Bucky. Long white hair, Olive eyes, 5'11, alive," I stated through the comms.

"Great, but remember do not engage Sam, she can kill us in the blink of an eye our mission is to follow her and make sure she's not going to kill anyone," Bucky told me in his best imitation of Steve's Captain America voice.

Now...

Yulia's POV

I started to speed walk toward the red and blue sign that read 'Underground', checking behind me in the window of the cafe on my right. They were still following me. I changed my plan. I turned right and walked up the stairs toward the channel, before turning left and walking toward the alleyway on the other side of the bridge. Hoping to trap them and ask them why the hell they were following me.

I reached the end of the alleyway hoping they weren't the bad people I heard so much about on missions. I turned to face them.

"What do you want?" I yelled challengingly at them knowing they were nervous to walk down the alleyway behind me.

"We want to help you. You ran away from HYDRA, right? We just want to help you start a normal life," The taller brunette one said stepping forward, while the shorter one looked at him like he was insane.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. But if you really wanted to help you would know that that was exactly what they said to the adoption agency when I was 2. And why should I trust you? You're American!" I asked trying to annoy them.

"Hey! Young lady that's one hell of an accusation towards the great people of American," The shorter one spoke up. But as he finished both me and the brunette went 'ehh'. Maybe he wasn't American. "I expected that from her but you Bucky really, you're caps best friend and he has America in his name."

"You should trust us because we know Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton they sent us to get you," the brunette, Bucky, said to me as I started to recognise him from my earlier years at HYDRA.

"I despise Natalia, she is the reason for my experimentation, the reason HYDRA made me into the monster I am now. And as for your Clint Barton, I tried to kill him, several times. I only managed to deafen him, sadly. Anyway I'm not in danger, I am the danger," I say totally seriously.

"Bucky, she's insane," The shorter man muttered to Bucky but he ignored his friend.

"Would you rather have to sleep on the streets and starve or come with us, get warm and have some food, we can talk about it all then. Plus, if you come with us we can help protect you from HYDRA and your past," Bucky offered, thinking those were my only two options in this ultimatum.

"You're part of my past asshole, you trained me till I was 9 and then tried to kill me two years ago!" I yelled at the man I now realized was the Winter Soldier.

"Kid, he was brainwashed he had no clue what was going on. I mean he still doesn't," The short one told me.

I decided to trust him choosing to go with them, because if necessary the reason I stopped training with the winter soldier was that I could beat him and that was before everything else HYDRA put me through. His friend also seemed easy enough to kill so why not.

"Where are you taking me?" I pressed record on my phone hoping to send this information to Ruby so she could rescue me from this nightmare.

"Paris," Short man told me without a hint of emotion.

"Ohh fun," I respond sarcastically, pressing send on the recording.

"What's your name?" He asked, he was terrified of me, brilliant.

"Which one? My HYDRA codename, my birth name, my nickname from my friends, or the one I was known to SHIELD as?" I responded genuinely interested on if I can fool them.

"All of them," both of them responded simultaneously, not interested in games I note.

"In the same order: the angel of death, Yulia, Boo, HYDRA's Child. I was one of their three children. But now there's only two of us," I stated a single tear forming due to thought of my friend dead on the floor bleeding out that was now scarred into my brain for all eternity.

I shouldn't of hoped she'd come with me.

I really should have learnt by this point; I'm wrong to hope.

I always am.

But these men seem good, maybe even buddy cops, and if they're not good men I can always kill them in their sleep.


	4. Chapter 3

But I can't not till I see where they take me, if any good can come from this it's that maybe just maybe I can transfer from one HYDRA base to another less evil one. And be reunited with the one person left alive that knows what I'm going through.

I think these thoughts even though I know deep down that I don't want to go back, I'm finally free and can finally be a human. Though I am no human but a monster.

A monster who looks like a girl. A monster who to the untrained eye is just another, normal teenage girl who should be obsessing over the newest heartthrob or drawing her name and her crushes together in hearts. But I know better, emotion in any capacity is weakness, and weakness gets you killed. As does disobeying orders and I already have one strike, I better not make it two.

The thought though that was consuming all my waking minutes was what if they find me? What would they do to me? What would become of me? Would I return to Sokovia in a body bag? Would I live? Would I die? Would Wanda die?

The other thought that consumes my waking mind is why on earth I agreed to go with these idiots. Ever since we got onto this train they had been squabbling while I listened to my music and read the book they had so graciously bought me so I didn't annoy them as much as they thought I could. If I wanted to annoy them I would have just stabbed them.

As the lyrics of the song rang through my ears, the words ran through my eyes and the bickering of my travel companions was almost diminished in comparison to the volume of my music. Even inconsideration with these facts I noticed when they stopped talking and tensed up and prepared mental for a fight, unfortunately for them I was to deep into my meditation of trying to locate three people's current location and anything really.

What did finally manage to get me out of this state was the bullet through the glass that barely missed me and made a noise at a frequency I don't think either of them could here causing me to instinctively duck and try get rid of that rechid bullet from within the coach as civianzes ran out of the car.

"What the fuck is going on?" Bucky asked as he saw me in my half in pain half in determination state approaching the device that had been launched through the window after the bullet went through, still listening to my music trying to block out that rechid sound.

"I have no fucking clue Barnes!" The shorter guy, Sam respond words filled with venom. These guys really hated each other.

"It's a sound bomb you morons!" I yell in reteleration still trying to disarm the device that I was assuming was made so that my ears would start to bleed. Click! And the ringing stopped in my ears.

As we hopped of the train and after we escaped the prying eyes of our compatriots in our car we walked into the center of the city towards the eiffel tower before turning onto a street I recognized, hoping Natasha wasn't the one who chose this street. Maybe she was and maybe it was to terrify me. But maybe just maybe it wasn't and she didn't remember what I could.

The café seemed innocent enough to my travel companions but I knew it wasn't. Underneath it lived one of Paris's biggest drug factories. The owner bakes them into sweets for the consumption of victims of HYDRA's innocent girls and for the all high and mighty who choose to consume drug filled sweets. The client list reached from A-listers to CEOs to world leaders. Though looking at the cute pastel yellow awning and flower boxes around the window sills and white wrought-iron furniture sat along the roadside.

When we entered the small parisian café all I saw was the only thing that mattered to me. No, it wasn't the red head looking at me in shock and disgust. It wasn't the blonde man dressed as a stereotypical american, or the blonde women sitting between them texting someone. But the back of a brunette's head who was talking to the redhead. I knew her, Wanda. My sister. My only family. My blood.

My heart skipped a few beats as I thought about turning around and running into the HYDRA preparatory academy and give into those monsters once again. I decided against it, mainly because Sam and Bucky pushed me forward and because I caught a glimpse of Wanda's mind. She was reminiscing about me as a child and talking to the redhead in Russian. Based on everyone else's looks and patterns I could tell nobody but the girls knew what they were saying, except me. They were talking about childhoods growing up in former communist countries. After about 5 minutes of just standing there while my companions had sat down, when they had reached a lul in their conversation, I started trying to talk.

"Sestra," was all I could get out of my mouth.

She turned around to face me tears in her eyes and a look of shock on her face as she walked backwards away from me.

"You're not really there!" She yelled at me trying to push me back with her magic, I easily resisted using my own.

"No, Wanda I'm really here. Alive. In Paris," I responded in Russian.

"I haven't slept in 4 days," She reasoned to herself.

"I'm really here. Here for you. Here to be with my Sestra," I responded again in russian.

"You're not real, you're dead, this is just one of those sleep-deprived hallucinations," She yelled back in russian.

"Wanda calm down. It's OK. I sent Sam and Bucky to help her stay alive. HYDRA is hunting her down. Just listen to me," Natasha, the redhead said, though she gave me a suspicious look.

"She isn't real! She died when she was 2! I saw her dead body! I know she is dead! I visited her grave a week ago! And if she was really my sister she would know the nursery rhyme our mother used to sing! Or have a ring!" Wanda yelled at me and Natasha completely breaking down as I gave strategic smiles to the other patrons in the café, as if to say 'I know she is crazy isn't she'.


	5. Chapter 4

"Wanda listen to me I'm here, I'm real, I'm alive and I escaped and someone tried to kill me three hours ago! I just want my sister, all I have ever wanted was my family back, and I know that all that's left is you. All I want is to see you again and hug you and be your sister because I love you! I love you because you are my sister! All I want is a family because my two best friends are murderers. I'm a murderer and I am only 12 years old! And only a day ago one of my best friends was shot in front of my eyes and the other one is hell bent on destroying the world!" I sobbed at her as the others started to take notice of our conversation when I said the next sentences, "When the bomb hit I was adopted by HYDRA! I was experimented on! I was turned into a monster! I am a monster now! And I just want forgiveness from my sister! I just want my sister, Wanda, that's all."

"Nat, what does she mean by HYDRA?" The blond said to Natasha, alarmed.

"She said she was raised by HYDRA for 10 years, and she's Wanda's sister, who Wanda thought had died 10 years ago when that bomb hit her building in Sokovia," Natasha explained to Bucky, Sam, the blonde woman and that Steve guy.

"Why did you send Bucky then?" Steve asked.

"Because I knew she wasn't in a HYDRA facility."

"How? How, Natasha How?"

"I heard her tell her friend she was planning on escaping using an old spy technique. The same one I told Clint where I was during Sokovia."

"What happened in Sokovia?" I asked curious, knowing there hadn't been a communication from Stucker's Sokovia base in over a year but still curiously asking so I can find out what Zumo had hidden from me Katrina.

"We took down the base and some shit went down in the city," Steve told me still looking slightly angrily at Natasha.

"So that's why Pie- Ahhh!" I screamed seeing both my brother and my best friend in front of me. Why were they there? They're both dead. So why are they here?

"What? Why Ahh!" The blonde girl said her eyes tearing away from her phone standing up looking ready for a fight.

"It's nothing just thought I saw something," I responded remembering what I had been taught by everyone at HYDRA. Others can't see what I can. The dead. The forgotten. People long gone. Though that did mean I got given advice from history's worst and best people. Walking up in the middle of the night from a nightmare and then having a conversation with Hitler was not fun given what he did to my ancestors. Though on the plus side I did get to meet Gandhi and Mandela they were fun to meet, I got some good advice from them.

"Are you sure?" Natasha asked both spies on full alert at this point.

"Yes. I grew up with a... different perspective, so that's all," I return.

They all raised their eyebrows quizzically, except Wanda who just started mouthing a drawn out 'ow' like it finally clicked in her brain.

After joining them for afternoon tea in the café and learning why they were in Paris and their names, I found out the blonde was called Sharon Carter and when I found out that her last name was Carter I knew I made a mistake coming here to see Wanda. I guess promises are made to be broken. I know that place is rotten and vile and they killed my only companion in my lonely life and the experimentation will be severe but returning, I feel, would be better than staying with these people who know nothing. About me. About anything.

So I decided to escape.

Again.

Again I put my plan into action.

Again asking for Katrina for help.

Even though she wasn't there.

Even though she was dead.

So I re-joined the conversation after my one with the dead.

Realizing they were talking about the café, while Steve and Nat were quietly whispering about what to do with me.

So I did what I do best. Fuck up HYDRA's plans and secrets.

All I had to do was act like I was getting more coffee, which is honestly disgusting, and let the rest of the plan pan out.

"But are you aware that the café that you are currently in sells illegal drugs and the owner is currently preparing a delivery I placed of these drugs while on the train which two of your agents didn't notice me doing. And I was doing this so I could hand them over to a friend," I said putting on my best HYDRA girl scout look on as I walk up to Pierre grabbing the box of macarons and looking out at him silently asking if I could run out the back door and make a run for it.

"Why? Why are you doing this Yulia?" Wanda asked tears in her eyes.

"I thought you were different than all of the other HYDRA youths," Natasha said pointedly, discreetly getting some sort of gun from her bag, but not discreetly enough giving me time to prepare my magic and wings, bracing myself for the oncoming pain.

"Well you thought wrong. You all did." I stated, ready to bolt.


	6. Chapter 5

I blinked my eyes entering the real world again after my brain had slipped into an alternate timeline. When I readjusted in my seat I realised all my companions were staring at me silent.

"No Yulia you shouldn't apologize to HYDRA. How would you even do that?" Bucky told me in Russian.

"You know Russian?" was all I could respond not even questioning my own statement. But before he could respond I asked a question to the group of adults with me, "How do you run from what's in your head? Because I feel like I'm my only demon and that I am the villain in my own story and I don't like it anymore."

"Yulia, I may not believe you're really my sister but I know you can't talk like that about yourself," Wanda told me. I get that she was trying to make me feel better but she couldn't not really. It's not her fault, it's nobody's fault really except maybe HYDRA's.

"I was a prisoner in my own mind for ten years sometimes literally I know that I am the villain in my story, but thank you for the thought."

Sometimes you should keep your mouth shut, but for me this wasn't one of those times. How could it be? I just reunited with my sister after ten years of us being apart. I mean I also wanted to play the guilt card on Natasha so she wouldn't kill me in my sleep.

"We should get back to the hotel. Then we can discuss what's going to happen to Yulia," Natasha told the group.

"Yulia you can borrow some of my pajamas and go to bed, you've had a long day," Wanda said pointing to the bathroom and her room.

"OK, I guess I'll see you all tomorrow." I said turning to walk through the door that lead to the small bathroom in the cramped hotel room.

I don't think they realized I could still hear them as I let the warm water wash over me. I could hear them discussing sending me to Tony Stark to which Wanda responded with a simple 'No!' and for that I am grateful, but they also suggested sending me to Wakanda at which point I winced thinking about the one previous time I had been there with Katrina and Ruby deciding that the royals had probably forgotten I thought that was the best option. Though they decided against it.

"What about Fury and Maria, couldn't it help their cover story to have a child with them?" One of the masculane voices offered.

"No offence to Fury but he's horrible with kids, has been since I meet him," Natasha simply stated.

"What about that spider kid? He could pretend to be her older cousin or something?" A different voice asked.

There was a whisper coming from the other girl I couldn't remember the name of, "Phil."

"Phil?" someone asked.

"Yeah, Phil could work, he's always 'adopting' new protégés. I'll call him," Nat said in response to the two previous voices.

"Isn't Phil dead?" One of them asked as I stepped out of the shower.

"No." Was all they got in response.

I walked out of the bathroom in the snug, fluffy pajamas that Wanda had lent me and said "Anyone but Tony Stark. And I don't care if they are dead."

With that I walked into the bedroom and got settled down to go to sleep as Natasha yelled, "Tomorrow me and the girls are taking you shopping, you need new clothes and this my make you like Tony more because I have one of his credit cards and he's paying!"

"I DON'T CARE!" I yelled back trying to get to sleep or some sort of rest. But whenever I closed my eyes, all I could see was the ghost of my past especially Katrina.

So at about midnight when everyone else was asleep I slipped on a borrowed outfit from Natasha and went up to the roof thinking that if I couldn't sleep maybe a night time flight around Paris would do me some good and maybe just maybe I could out run my demons for a night.

It didn't work. What it did do though was make three highly trained operatives, two ex-military personal, and an angry older sister yell at me in a total of 5 languages over breakfast. On the other hand, Wanda had finally realized I was who I said I was as this made her realize me and Pietro were definitely related. Which got a thumbs up from his ghost standing in the corner.

Wait. Pietro's ghost was in the corner. Why could nobody else see this? Was this like the time only me and Katrina could see the cameras in Chicago? Or was this more like Alberta? Or maybe Hong Kong? Maybe I need to get a more normal life? That was the only question In that moment I knew the answer too; No, how can I? I have wings for crying out loud.

That day all I did was go shopping with the girls and eat and worry that HYDRA maybe coming after me. I shouldn't have put the word maybe in that statement because they were I could feel it in my bones.


	7. Chapter 6

I was right.

Three hours into our little shopping trip to buy me some 'much' needed clothes and a suitcase they attacked. They attacked me, my sister, Natasha and Sharron. They made a horrible mistake. Because within about three minutes all of the 50 person team were either dead or near death. It was fun. Too much fun.

After that little run in they made sure to not be noticed on the security camera.

I did the opposite. I tried to be caught on every single one of those security cameras so that Ruby could track me like she'd promised. I know some of you will be thinking why do you want HYDRA tracking you? It's simple really, I may hate their ideals and past but they're my family. More so than the sister who doesn't believe I'm real. More so than the two ghost who've been trying to get me to 'stop this madness'. More real than any family could ever be and I miss them. I miss my early mornings and late nights training with Katarina until one of us would go back to our rooms to rest while the other screamed into a void of experimentation. Life wasn't good but It was a life. Here I am nothing.

Eventually we stepped back through the doors to the hotel room greeted by grunts from the guys who were on a call with and old man with something on his legs, a middle aged white guy who looked kinda familiar and a man who sat in a throne with a girl maybe just a bit older than me standing next to him.

"She needs to go somewhere! A life on the run from the governments of the world and an evil organisation from world war 2 isn't the life a twelve year old should have!" Steve yelled, exacerbated.

"She can join my team but I know you wanted to get her away from the spy world for a little while," The middle aged man said looking away from the camera to something out of the projection.

"How about she lives with Rhodey and everyone at the compound but phil is written down as her legal guardian when she enrolls in school," Natasha entered the conversation, "We can claim he's her uncle and she can start the process of becoming a citizen and if she wants at weekends she can train and join you on low-profile missions?"

"That would work-" The man on the throne stated before being cut off.

"I want to meet her and I can try to figure out her physiology and try to get a gage on her abilities so that we know what they are for future reference." The young girl stated.

"Her is right here," Wanda said giving me a look that said she finally believed me, I don't know why but she did and that made going along with any of these people's plan. People Wanda trusted. "I guess I'm also her legal guardian so shouldn't it be up to me what we do with Yulia?"

No one replied more looking astonished a) she believed me and b) that Wanda had spoken up.

"Well if you want to get into techniqualities then my legal guardian was killed by those two," I stated pointing at Nat and Steve.

Nat winced as if remembering exactly when it happened, "She's right but now that we know you have a sibling who is legally allowed to look after her. Wanda is her guardian because she was 18 when he was killed."

"Whoever her guardian is it doesn't change the fact we have to find her somewhere to live until she's an adult," Sam snapped a little to harshly as Nat raised her eyebrow at him in defense. He knew he made a mistake.

"I want to live with Wanda. Sh is my sister after all," I started looking at the people whom I knew spoke russian. I turned to look at Pietro who was nodding at me in agreement, which lead me to mutter, "See Pietro agrees."

"You can't but you could live with me," A strawberry blonde said popping onto the screen next to the middle aged man I now knew was Phil.

"And you are?"

"I'm Gemma, Gemma simmons and I can be your adoptive big sister if you want."

Phil glared daggers at her.

"I have an adoptive older sister and she's hellbent on destroying the world so it hasn't worked out the best for me."

I love her, though.

"Well she sounds pleasant," Natasha said sarcastically. "Actually I had someone like her in the Red Room. Who is it?"

"Ruby," I slightly sang her name.

"That checks."

"I want Yulia and me to think of a plan involving all of you to protect her, so even if she can't live with me she knows that I am helping to protect her. She is my little sister after all."

"I like that Idea best," Nat said looking at me with a new found curiosity.

"Give us a day and we'll get back to you. For now me and Nat are going to give Yulia a makeover so HYDRA won't recognise her. Sharron could you please look up girls schools in New York because I feel that's the best place for her." Wanda stated sounding more in charge than I thought possible.

"Okey we'll reassemble in 24 hours," Phil said ready to turn off his hologram.

"So, Yulia do you know what your IQ is or what level you're learning at so I can inform schools?" Sharron asked, her eyes burning into my soul.

"I have an IQ of 153 and I was learning at ruffly a year 13 level in the English education system."

"So you're gonna be bored in the American system. I might try Sousa's Academy for the Enhancement of Girls Education and Lives. I'm guessing you're more used to having just girls and no boys the way you talk about HYDRA."

"Yes. IS it not the American system?"

"No it is but I know the owner and she'll extend you and most of the girls either come from rich families who could afford to by the school or backgrounds closer to yours," She said trying to explain something simple to me even though she now knew my IQ, "The owner is my childhood best friend and my aunts ex's daughter."

"That sounds great Sharron. Me, Nat and Yulia are going to go have a fashion show in our room," Wanda told her feed up of her attitude even though she was too kind to just say, 'Shut up Sharron', I know she wanted to.


	8. Chapter 7

"Why do girls schools always smell of roses and vanilla?"

"It's the law," Natasha retorted to my complaint with her trademark smirch. "But you have to get used to it."

"I'm used to the smell of dangerous chemicals & sweat," I say in response earning a concerned look from the rest of our group especially Steve.

"Well moving one you'll have your own room as most of our girls have no clue the sort of shit you went through happens in this day and age. Your room is also equipped with a panic button in case you need it. And the school has a home you can use that's not traceable by the government. And this room used to be Nat's when this was the Avengers tower. We also still have the same security system so you're completely safe." Brooklyn, the headmistress, told us on our tour of my future home.

"Well this is were we leave you Yulia," Steve said looking even more exhausted than any man should.

"Promise you'll call, write or let me know you're alive and doing OK. OK?" Wanda fretted, she'd stepped up to her role of a protective big sister since Paris and her seeing the ring when I decided to show it to her.

"I will and promise me you and Nat will stay safe, because you're both my sisters now. Nat you're apart of this family because we've all lost so much and you and I share a bond through HYDRA," I respond crying as I ran up and hugged them taking Nat by surprise and Wanda just fell apart as well.

"What no love for uncle Buck or uncle Sam?" Bucky asked while Steve stayed quiet behind him, too deep in his own thoughts to notice anything going on around him and Sharron and Brooklyn were deep in conversation.

"You helped train me to murder and as for him, he helped make Rumlow the boss of where I grew up. Also I only give hugs to my family and as of now I don't consider you family."

"That's just cold," Sam deadpanned.

I just rolled my eyes and said in a very monotone voice and russian, "Bite me."

"Remember your cover Yulia," Natasha said making intense eye contact.

"My name's Gwen Stacey. I'm from England. My godfather is a man called Rhodey. I don't have abilities. My wings are because of the inhuman thing. The reason I have my own room is because there's an odd number of girls so I can't have a roommate. I am an only child. My cousin is called Peter Parker. I can speak French and English nothing else. I have anxiety. I don't care about the avengers. I am pro-inhuman but only have wings and can't hurt anyone and no, I will not fly anyone around the city," I recite the file she had handed me just 3 hours ago in hopes that they could protect me by not using any of my real information.

"Very good but you forgot something. You have and older step-sister called Jemma and General Talbot is your uncle."

"That makes me even more fun," I responded, sarcasm like venom on my tongue.

"Well," Brooklyn clapped her hands together trying to disperse the storm clouds that seemed to have formed between the group I was now apart of, "the girls are going to be back soon so I'll help you unpack your stuff then I'll introduce you to your student guides who will probably take you out tonight." As I raised my eyebrow at the words take you out she seemed to realise her mistake. "I meant to a party or a dinner to see the city not in the way I guess you're used to."

After a very short 5 minutes of unpacking, after a long 20 minutes of tear filled goodbyes and banter between me, Sam and Bucky I braced myself for teenage girls and all that came with them.

"Gwen these are your student guides and allocated friends, Kate, Benaetha and Cindy. Girls this is Gwen, Gwen Stacey she's our new student please treat her kindly and let her join in your group," Brooklyn said as she started toward the big mahogany doors of her office before turning around and saying, "Oh! And please don't ask about her wings, she'll tell you if she wants."

"OK! I know she said not to ask about your wings, but can I just say they're beautiful, and ask if they're from the whole inhumans debacle we've been facing?" Kate asks, she was stunning like a goddess sent to earth. Her dark brown hair reached just passed her shoulders, her skin was definitely kissed by the gods, she was skinny but also had curves and wore her uniform with pride.

"Yeah. And can I ask you something, do I have to call you Benaetha or can I call you Ben or Benny?" I responded.

"Sure, Ben or Benny are fine, everyone calls me Ben anyway," Benaetha responded. She too was gorgeous, long blonde hair that I guessed would finish around her waist, but was currently in a ponytail, her blue eyes a striking contrast to that of her friends brown ones.

"So, do you like parties?" The third and final one, Cindy, asked. she too had a shorter hair than the blonde but hers was as dark as the night sky in the middle of the ocean on a cloudy night, her brown eyes were tinged with green making them become kaleidoscopic to look at, but her glasses stopped them from being to mesmerising.

"Not really, I grew up in a strict english boarding school the closest thing to a party was when it was someone's birthday," I respond weary of these girls already, because I could sense that they could become more. Become like me.

"Well you're coming to a midtown party with us. It's at this guy called Flash's house, he's a dick. But a dick that knows how to party," Kate said before continuing, "I have to leave you in the very capable hands of Cindy because I have archery practice and Ben here has to meet up with her older sister."

"I have to do some experiments in the lab if you want to join, you seem like the type to enjoy science," Cindy offered.

"I'd love to and maybe you can tell me more about this Flash and party. Because I really don't like crowded places."

"Oh! I know a midtown student you'd get along with if you like art and human rights," Ben said as she and Kate walked away.

"Yes how'd you know?"

"You're shirt gave it away," Kate said turning around to wave to Cindy and I guess me.

"Science?" I asked after a couple moments of awkward silence.

"Science!" She shouted back taking my hand and dragging me in the opposite direction her friends had taken.

When we made it to the science lab Cindy introduced me to the science teacher and showed me how to set up the experiment they were going to do. It was simple but still fun. It was precipitates. Though going with her did get me extra credit which I enjoyed, it wasn't the most challenging thing to ever happen it was fun seeing Cindy's face light up when she got it right.

She also introduced me to a junior called Jennifer who reminded me of someone Nat had talked about. But I didn't say anything. Instead I opted to watch most of the time only piping up when asked a question.

Afterward me and Cindy went back to her and Kate's room to meet back up with them while they told me what I should wear to the party, before deciding to just come to my room and help me pick out an outfit.


	9. Chapter 8

The halls of this school can be long and lonely or peaceful and still. On the good days, I would trail behind my so-called friends hoping a wormhole would swallow me up. On the bad days, I walk these halls alone trying to keep my head above the water flooding in from my surroundings.

I guess that first day was one of the in-between ones. I was trying to keep my head above the water and I was lagging behind. But I was at a party thrown by some boy, who apparently went to Midtown, I had never met. To throw me even more off my game this party was unlike any party I had been to before. There were booze-filled teenagers making bad decisions and dancing to the music which would normally make their ears bleed.

I was standing in a corner long abandoned by the three girls who had dragged me here. Alone. Until a girl wearing a cardigan over her shirt and jeans walked towards me. Her hair was in a messy bun atop her head. In her hands, she held two pieces of toast smothered by peanut butter.

"Peace offering between two wallflowers," The girl had said as she handed me one of the pieces of toast, not even asking if I was allergic to peanuts or anything, just offering me toast and a party. Where had she gotten toast?

"Ummm... Thanks!? What's your name? I'm Gwen," I shout back over the music taking the piece of toast from her outstretched hand and studying her.

"You can call me MJ. All of these losers know me as Michelle though," She shrugged her shoulders, relaxing her body language. She trusts me? Where do you go to school? Not to pry but I just haven't seen you around before or anything."

"Sousa's School for Exceptional Girls. Though I've found most of them are very ordinary and dimwits who drag girls to parties when they'd rather be sleeping or crying. They also thought I would socialize with a bunch of drunken lunatics who are all smart but have no clue about anything to do with hardship or real-world knowledge."

"Can I ask what hardship you've faced?"

"Sure do you want to go outside? I can walk you home while we talk?"

"What are you 12? But thanks and sure let's get away from all these hormonal teens."

"For the record, I'm 13 and plenty. When I was 2 my parents were killed in front of my eyes. Then I was adopted when my siblings weren't and had to go to a British boarding school, not as fun as movies make it out to be. Then my brother died before I could see him again just over a year ago. My sister seems to want nothing to do with me. She's also on the run from the law and dating a 'cop', which is very complicated. I have wings from an experiment done by the government when they released the tarogen into the air a few months ago. Ohhh! And I have to have a panic button with me at all times. And my teachers are all terrified of me because I accidentally nearly killed one of them today and it was my first day. So yeah a lot of weird and hardship, also I lied my name isn't Gwen it's Yulia. I just got told to tell everyone my name was Gwen by my sister's terrifying friends."

"Fun. My parents don't care about me and my aunt and uncle were murdered if it makes you feel any better. They were killed by this girl because they had something to do with a secret agency and she killed them with a poison no one could identify till recently," My eyes went wide when I heard this. MJ, oh no it makes sense now, Michelle Jones, they were her aunt and uncle. Me and Katrina's final mission was to kill them. Shit.

"That's fun? I guess," I say not sure how to respond without giving up any more information than I had to.

"Wait you said you were from England So have you ever experienced a 7/11 midnight snack?"

"No, because I've never been out this late," I lied through my teeth as if it were second nature. Which to be fair it was.

"Then come on we're doing one now. For you of course," Shae stated Grabbing my hand and leading me into the sight of the security cameras which I was sure followed me like a tentacle of HYDRA.

"OK! Grab chocolate and a drink. That's all we need."

I was overwhelmed by both her kindness and the amount of choice I had been bombarded with since leaving my past in the... well past. They taught me to only focus on the mission in hand but now my mission was to live a normal teenage life. That was the one mission I was never prepared for and now it's my only one I was terrified of that all too true fact.

What I would give for a different mission right now. Something dangerous. Something fun. Something that involves death and destruction. But, for now, at least, that's not going to happen unless I run back to the people that raised me and face the punishment for disobeying them.

No. I can't. It's not worth it.

So instead I grabbed a random chocolate bar and a drink I had seen people drink all around the world and never really wanted to try. MJ walked up to the counter with me. I instinctively went for my pocket. I then remembered I had been forced into the dark blue dress that Sharon had insisted I buy. So I went to reach for the bag on my back only to come in contact with another hand.

Instinct took over. My hand grabbed the wrist-twisting it to an almost dangerous angle. Twisting my body so I could see the persons face. As soon as I saw the bleach blonde hair, glistening green eyes and classic smirch of my only living best friend, Ruby Hale, I let go not wanting to hurt her more.

"Ruby!" I say excitement obvious in my voice. I knew there were only 2 people she cared about that weren't her and I was the only one breathing and alive.

"Hey, little angel. How are you?" She asked with a smile dancing over her lips as she handed the cashier the money me and MJ owed him before linking arms with me motioning to her hand for my drink.

"Good. I've been settling in here. Saw my sister. Very awkward. Kat died. How about you? How are the Rockys treating you? " I tell her before realizing I needed to introduce her and MJ. "This is Michelle by the way. She's a 'wallflower' like us." I told her using the high school jargon language we had to use on a few missions before.

"The Rockys are mountains and suck. But I'm you know normal? It also nice to meet you, Michelle. I'm Ruby, Yulia's girlfriend and childhood best friend," Ruby said placing her hand in front of her to shake MJ's hand.

"Hi. Do you still want to walk with me or catch up with your girlfriend?" MJ asked me as she shook Ruby's hand.

"First she's not my girlfriend, even though if I had to date anyone it would be her because I'm ace and IDK. Second, I'll still walk with you then I'll catch up with Ruby as we walk back to my school."

"Sounds Like a plan."

We walked and talked for about 20 minutes with MJ before dropping her off and me giving her my number. Then me and Ruby raced back to my new school along the way stopping on a bridge to throw some flowers off in respect for Katrina.

"So this is the hell hole of a school they have you in now. You should just come to HYDRA prep with me," Ruby says as she takes her usual spot on my bed as I removed my shoes, jacket and bag.

"Again I ran away because they killed Kat. Also, whatcha mean?" I said as I flopped down onto my bed face first, as per usual.

"Didn't you hear? Some of the Avengers stormed the place and destroyed it but took all signs of you and Kat, including her body," Ruby said slightly shocked she needed to tell me something for once.

"So, how come you're in New York?"

"I'm meant to be killing you but I also thought a little bit of teenage rebellion was in order. So... you get to live. Of course, Yulia has to die but 'Gwen' can live," She said making her hands do that weird shaking thing people call jazz hands even though they have nothing to do with jazz.

"Yay!" I retorted sarcastically. "So you staying the night or going to find someone else to kill and scar so it looks like they had wings you removed? Because you can have a feather if you need to sell it more."

"I love you! And a feather could be useful. I also got you hair dye so you can look different. Well blonde but different."

"Pluck the feather then can you help me with the hair dye?"

"We really are sisters."

We both laughed at the thought of what the would-be like if HYDRA's daughters were really sisters by blood. While we were laughing Ruby pulled out one of my feathers surprised when I only grimaced, unlike last time.

"Hir," She just started getting up and began moving to my bathroom.

"No offence Ruby but are you sure you read the label right because this looks more like Natasha Romanoff hair instead of Jennifer Lawrence. Not that I'm complaining, red is a lovely colour but ah it's not blonde like you said," I say looking in my mirror. I had gone from Danerys Targarian to Sansa Stark in a matter of hours.

"You can still Rock your classic ponytail or Danny braids if you want," She said looking through her phone trying to catfish this girl into a date with death.

"Can you please braid my it then and I'll catfish while you do?"

"Sure," She shrugged her shoulders.

After breakfast with one of Ruby's headphones in she braided my hair and went on her 'date' leaving me to fend for myself at school. And blend in. A task that's harder than killing the black widow herself. And trust me that's really hard.

Last time I tried she walked away without a scratch, but with a deafened teammate. Ohhh what fun Budapest was. But I can't think about that right now or I would be doomed in this school.


	10. Chapter 9

4 months later...

Some tips for those of you who want a normal American high school experience, 1) you don't, 2) NEVER, and I mean NEVER, accidentally summon a demon from a different dimension during a chemistry exam. Because (a) you'll fail said exam, (b) you'll annoy some wizard people whose leader's real name is Dr Stephen Strange, © people are generally scared of demons and (d) they're hard to put in cages. Really hard.

And that folks is roughly why I got suspended for 2 weeks and nearly failed chemistry. That is also the story of how I ended up spending 2 weeks split between an American General and colonel. 1 week was fine, the other terrifying.

Also the true story of how I have to have magic lessons from a brain surgeon.

How did my life get like this? And When?

Honestly, I have no clue. Nor do any of my friends or family.

"Can you come to our study session today or do you have your extra credit class?" Benny asked as we walked out of our advanced PE class towards the changing room.

"I can't make it but I can make it towards the end," I say as I placed my bag down on the bench getting ready to change into my school uniform.

"Cool, how's all that going anyway? I just know you were ahead in most of your classes so you having catch up sessions is odd."

"Fine. They're actually quite boring if I'm honest."

At that point, we both began getting changed chatting about how her sister and my 'step-sister' had worked together for a while.

We continued this as we walked to our lockers. I still felt like I was living a lie. But then again I was and I did have MJ who knew the truth. Or so she thought. We pulled out our books and made a beeline straight to English. The only class me, Benny, Kate and Cindy shared and today was the day of classes before our actual exams.

English flew past, as even though I had been placed two years ahead of where I should be I still knew all of the content we had covered this year. For once I was grateful for HYDRA.

To be fair the whole day flew by quickly. That was until I was picked up by Happy before my lesson with Dr Strange saying I had an important dinner afterwards. From there time twisted moving a quarter of the speed it had been this morning

"Do it again,."I need a break," I said my arms feeling like they were about to fall off and my head about to explode.

"You can have a break after you learn how to channel your power to summon the dead. Try thinking of someone you had a strong connection with, see if that helps."

"Gee. I hadn't thought of that before," Isay rolling my eyes as I went back to trying to create a projection of Katrina for him to see. Summoning her wasn't difficult, she spent most of her days at my side, both in life or death. The hard part was having enough energy to make her visible while keeping myself alive.

"Conserve your energy for the spell, not snarky comments," Wong said as he walked into the room.

That's the moment it happened. I made Katrina appear. Faint but there.

"Hey Red Angel," she said to me as if I had just summoned her at that moment.

"So she can really do it. That's not creepy at all." Wong whispered to Dr Strange.

"I did it, I really did it!" I was jumping for joy as Stephen and Wong stepped forward to examine Kat.

"Well done. You didn't blackout this time3 before you did it this time. You can rest now and get ready for that dinner you have to be at in 20 minutes," Dr. strange said as he stood up straight heading to the main doors of the sanctum, opening them to reveal Happy about to knock on the door. But I, I was too caught up in the euphoric feeling that came with accomplishing what had been holding me back for the past month to notice any of this, until I tried to hug Pietro and Kat. that was when I remembered that they were dead and I was alive and that was when the wave of guilt hit me.

I stumbled back towards the wall behind me. Gasping for air, hand clutching my chest. What was happening to me? Why couldn't I breathe?

Pietro rushed over singing a Russian lullaby I vaguely remembered from early childhood. While Happy grabbed something from the bag slung over his shoulder. The area in my peripheral vision started going black and it was creeping into the rest of my vision. Until Happy reached me. It went black.

My eyes were heavy as they blinked op[en to reveal blinding lights above my head. My head which hurt. Come to think of it, my whole body ached. Every inch. But all I could think about at the moment was: where was I?

My head lifted off the almost too soft pillow to look around the small all-white, brightly lit room, my eyes squinting to only allow a small amount of light into my eyes. Seeing a group of people in white lab coats. When they noticed I was awake they rushed around the room scribbling notes on their clipboards before one of them rushed out of the room to talk to a face I hoped I would never have met unless it was on a very particular kind of mission.

Tony Stark.

The man who destroyed my home. My life. My family. I know it wasn't his fault, directly or entirely, but seeing his face still hurts. He tore our homeland apart by making money. And anyone who profits off of war is, like war itself, fundamentally evil.

He may parade around in a suit of armour pretending to be a hero but why would anyone want peace when they make billions off of war?

He entered the room with a woman dressed in a smart suit and walked towards me with a sad smile on his lips.

"Hello Yulia, I'm-"

"I know who you are. Tony Stark, age 46, birthday is in just less than 2 months. I know you better than you know yourself, Tony. I know every detail of both of your lives. And yes I mean you, Virginia Potts."

"I wanted to say I'm your legal guardian but now I'm not sure I want to be. God, you remind me of Natasha. Anyway, how do you feel? How's your head? What happened?

"Tony," The woman who I realized was most likely expecting me to call her Pepper whispered to the man who killed my parents.

"Fine. It hurts. Stupid bet with a wizard and a failed chemistry exam. Why are you here though aside from being my guardian?"

"Because Natasha and Wanda can be terrifying when they want to be. Actually, Natasha's terrifying at all times. Like you, I guess."

"Well, I did train in the red room over the summers. So much less intensive than what I was used to at the time, but I learnt some useful skills from them. Mean too but I was tied for best there at the time, even Natasha can't say that and pass a lie detector test," I smiled crazily.

"Right. Dr Cho is going to do her thing and I'll get Vision to give you some therapy."

"Wait, my sister's toaster boyfriend? I'll pass."

Once I was cleared to get back to school I fell into a sort of routine of school, study, wizards, weekly dinners at the compound with a spider boy, an evil bastard, the evil bastard's sidekick, a toaster, and two of the sweetest woman I've ever met, and calling my sister and Nat when I could. Until summer when I was sent to Wakanda to spend time with my sister and train with the Dora Milaje. That whole trip was awkward for me, for a reason no one knew and never would.

Then at the end of the summer, I got back into my normal routine with one change I helped teach a self-defence class at school and invited MJ to join in because if she knew my real identity she'd always be in danger.

That was until one fateful day in April 2018. Now.

Me leaning over the bannister on the viewing deck at school watching a ring-shaped spaceship destroy New York while contemplating where to go and help, the immediate fight or to the compound where I could help with the bigger one to come. Or even abandoning this dimension.

My decision was made for me as it hit. The wave of pain that hits when someone I have an attachment to dies, but it was bigger and slower. Almost like it had taken a while to reach me, like far away a whole race had been killed. One I had an attachment to.


	11. Chapter 10

Why do aliens have to exist? And why do they always attack New York first?

With a giant leap off of the roof, I spread my wings wide and started soaring. Soaring towards the Avenger's Compound where I knew Rhodey would already be on a conference call with the UN discussing what the best course of action was. But that's the thing with fighting aliens, you have no clue what the best course of action is until you're fighting them. And even then it's hard to tell.

After a solid 37 minutes flying towards the memorable plot of land and buildings of the avengers compound I was finally there asI landed a few agents who hadn't seen me before were shocked but most just continued as if nothing had happened at all as I walked up to the big doors that took me into my semi home. I turned right and took the quickest route that stopped by a kettle and a coffee machine , towards the conference room stopping to grab some coffee, tea and a hot white chocolate for Nat because she always wants her coffee as bitter as her soul and that takes a lot of sugar and this is healthier for her. I knew they were currently 7 minutes out, flying in from the northeast, most likely Scotland, and would need something after that journey.

Walking Thru the automatic door of the conference room well keeping my focus on balancing all of the drinks in the air I only just heard the quinjet winding nodding at Rhodey to tell him they were here and handing it is coffee setting it down the rest of the cups waiting for my sister Time make it all better I hoped.

Until I was dragged into the debate by general tablet then things got hit until I felt one day and that's energies and to the room period then I just found them needing a hug and call Vision a toaster or some other kind of electronic.

I try to float the drinks over to them as Steve gave his little speech about not caring anymore. it was short and sweet and to the point but paid me long enough to inspect visions words and realise exactly where we needed to go.

Wakanda.

"All over it. that's the court-martial. It's great to see you, cap."

Steve moved forward to hug Rhodey and I started to help Sam with Vision. Making sure he could stand just long enough to get them over to the sofa. placing him down carefully.

"You too, Rhodey," he said before Rhodey went over to hug Natasha.

"Well, you guys look like crap. Must've been a rough couple of years," he said picking up his stuff cup of coffee.

Sam thought this was the right time to give a joke to lighten the mood as I mentally a lift at the last remaining cup of tea towards the next room and guest I had picked up on my way here.

"Hi, Bruce," I think I was the only one to notice the microscopic change in Natasha's voice as she greeted Bruce.

"Nat."

After a minute of silence, I decided to suggest we moved into the other room so we could get Vision more comfortable than standing in the doorway with me Sam and Wanda. Who were all saying this is awkward.

"We've got to assume the coming back right?"

"And they can obviously find us," Wanda responded to Rhodey statement only making the pit in my stomach deeper making me question if I should tell them what HYDRA and the Wizards now.

"We need all hands on deck. Where's Clint?" Bruce questioned hopefully.

While Nat and Steve explained the past two years to Bruce I felt the wave of death hit me again. So I decided to tell them.

While they're all squabble about Vision laying down his life to save everyone I questioned how I would tell them what I knew because you can't just go, 'oh by the way, there is a way to save everyone the 7th Infinity Stone that just so happens to be within three people in this room will have the power to stop then as when combined with dead US Air Force officer from the nineties whose actually alive in space.'

"I know someone," Steve said.

"Wakanda or The Rockies are your best bet," I said with a smirk Natasha was proud of.

"Although I'm curious to know who it is in the Rockies I think we should prep the quinjet for Wakanda," Steve decided before we all went and moved towards the door within the room.

Allowing Rhodey time to grab his suit and me to explain I had left my suit at the HYDRA base in England period all that was like ID never had a suit because no-one ever suspects a child and one person here knows that but wouldn't say it. It was An unspoken agreement between us. I don't tell them about the Red Room. She doesn't snitch about HYDRA. Or the fact I'm still in contact with Ruby. If anyone knew that that haven't had and I'm not sure if that's figurative or a literal with The Avengers. But I think if you more understanding then hydro but who knows they could be just as bad as I was always taught they were.

My thoughts wandered like this for about 5 minutes while the adults talk logistics about how to get there until I got bored and ask to be excused earning a shocked look from Steve, he was most likely wondering where my manners had come from. Answer: a very scary French woman called the madame. As I got up my spine shook at the thought of her lessons and how they always ended with at least one crying girl whether it was me or Katarina or Ruby, one of us would always be crying by the end.

I don't miss those lessons for sure some of the other yes. Her, no.

When I work for my thoughts of HYDRA I realised I was in the shooting range. So, naturally, I decided to practice my shooting. when I finally ran out of bullets in my gun and noticed that all of the others were in the room either looking horrified at my aim or proud of me. Only two faces were proud, others not so much.

"Where'd you learn that?" Sam asked the terror creeping into his voice with a slack jaw trying to distract all of us from the fact I beat Natasha's highest score that had been recorded.

"Russia, 8 years ago. From someone, you all know before they saw the light and no it wasn't Natasha."

"He was always a good teacher wasn't he?" Nat asked knowing who I meant.

"Apparently that wasn't all he taught you," I said watching as Natasha glared and everyone else realised what I meant expressions priceless on their faces.

"Did you just say what I think you said? About Natasha? Do you have a deathwish?" Wanda said very clearly concerned about me.

"No, I was talking about the piano. Also, Natasha can't help me if she tried."

"Why?" Steve are genuinely wanting answers.

"Yelena-"

"Don't say her name." Nat snapped.

"And why is that? She shares your name and past," I sat back truly questioning why she doesn't want them to know about her ex-friend and my ex-boss.

"Because of what happened. Now go get your bag of weapons and gloves and not teleported to another dimension or I will make you spend summer at girl scout camp," she ordered me her eyes glowing evilly.

As I left the room saying a few choice words in Russian I heard Sam say, " Why the Girl Scouts?"

By the time we touch down in Wakanda 5 hours later Evo 9 the person with little wings was sick of flying in such close quarters.

From outside the cold metal doors, I heard the familiar African accent of general Okoye saying " when you said we're going to open up Wakanda to the rest of the world... this is not what I imagined."

"And what did you imagine, general?"

"Starbucks maybe the Olympics."

"What about a Sokovian fugitive with angel wings and parent issues instead?" I say my accent thick as I weep towards Okoye as the door was still sliding open. "Who also bought cinnamon rolls?"


	12. Chapter 11

Why do people never listen to kids? Even when said kids have a combined IQ of 337 and figured out how to destroy vibranium when trying to create the perfect nail polish.

Was it because we were teens or girls? Or was it because they were Tony Stark's friends?

My brain had started going down this path of questioning the moment they had ignored one of mine and Shuri's suggestions in favour of one the sentient phone had made instead.

"This would be much easier in the lab," Shuri muttered under her breath as we walked the winding path towards one of the numerous rooms within the royal place of Wakanda. Down the long and wide halls that had seen more history than most countries.

I felt as if I was the only one looking forward to what was to come. A fight. A fight for my life. A fight for the first time in a year.

I was looking forward to it because it meant I wasn't just another citizen word to be protected by the oh so holy Avengers. The people everyone looked up to. My sisters. My only living family. But by the feeling in my gut, they wouldn't be alive much longer. That was terrifying. My sister can't beat someone when she lifted it a building just to rescue a cat who then ate the building. Then had hairball containing the building.

I thought about bringing all of this up before the attack but when I turned the final corner I saw wizard shake his head in a mirror. Which might I say is not the weirdest thing to happen to me today by a hypothetical mile. With the weird wizard's strange opinion in hand, I decided not to tell them but instead the fact I may soon be able to see my parents and hug them. And be free of society and my ability to feel death. An ability I've grown to hate. It was fine when I felt nothing and even after when there were only slight feelings. But now... now I have emotions I don't even know the names of. And I feel. I feel more than anyone else and that will be the death of me. Or half the universe. And both are a bad option for me.

The one thing I knew for certain is, either way, I'll never see one of the people I considered my siblings again. And I don't know which I would choose to lose.

Pietro. He was dead. He was my overprotective brother. He was my Speedy Gonzales. He was the blue to my purple. He used to sing me a lullaby every night when I was small. He is with my best friend. He forgave me when no one else would. He helped me with my homework. He helped me figure out home to block out other ghosts. He was always there for me. He was.

Wanda. She's my sister. She's alive. She helped rediscover what it's like to truly live. She taught me the joys of looking after a cat (?) for Fury. She helps me live the life I want to. She helps me master my powers. She is.

Natasha. She's not my blood but she's my sister. She's the one who I've wanted to beat my entire life. She's trained me to be a hero without my abilities. She was my first mission & she'll be my last. She's helped me adjust like she once did. She's become a mother and a sister to me. She has.

The whole of the Avengers have become my family and I don't want to lose them especially to whatever destroying this much because it was too powerful and it is going to win eventually. It's older than time, what's wanting the destruction. The current person executing its plan isn't but what's to come is.

I have to protect my newfound family because I'm one of the few who can. Me, a half-alien, a person thought to be dead, my best friends, and two American teens one of whom is ironically named America. A group of women have to defend the planet and dimension who has tried to keep us down for millennia. Like to defend those who hate us for the fact that we are women and unapologetic. Those who want us dead. Why should we be? it's not something we can be at fault for no matter what the white straight androcentric system says. We should not and cannot let them get to us or they'll win. And that is not an option not with who we're about to face.

I only knew him by the name HYDRA gave him and what they knew but that's more then most people in this fight can say. For those of you wondering what is name is, it's Thanos and he will destroy the universe before Ruby. And it was what she was born to do. And she's probably fuming about it.

God, my life is crazy.

And my phone is about to explode from the number of messages Ruby was sending me about her mum music and that she won't destroy the world.

Maybe it's a good thing most people don't know their destinies. Maybe it would destroy us to know what was happening. Maybe there would be more insane people if our world was like at. Maybe I already am. Maybe ruby is. Maybe Kat was. Maybe we all are. Maybe we need to be to survive in this crazy messed up world. Especially now would aliens about to descend from to a country who has tried so hard to avoid the conflicts of the outside world.

"Avengers suit up. Yulia stays here with Shuri, Vision and your sister. I know you want to be in the fight now is not the time, we need you, all of you alive," Steve said pointedly.

"But-"

"No. No butts"

"Ok, it's not like I can read minds or you know, know what we're up against."

"Yulia you can't fully control your powers. So you're not going out there and that's final."

"Leave it, Yulia, nobody trusts us, kids," Shuri whispered to me.

"But I know how to win, I just need to call someone. And then he needs to call someone and I may or may not I've tried to kill said person."

All Shuri did was roll her eyes and give me a pointed look before turning her case back to the issue at her hands.

I've messed up my entire life haven't I. Just because I worked for bad people. I didn't even have a choice. No one, except Natasha, seems to grasp the concept. The concept that you don't always have a choice in what you do. It's hard to have a say in everything you do, especially when you're only a child. That's the time the world makes most of the decisions for you and you can't help it. It's not my fault I was raised by monsters who turned me into the thing of nightmares. A thing that looks like an angel but which is truly a devil in disguise. Now I just have to choose a path. Angel or demon. My choice. My rules. My turn to control my own life. My game this time. And I'm going to win it. Because winning is the only way to survive for people like me. People who have been doomed by the world at the beginning.

People like me are made victims and can't escape that fate. The fate of being less than those born into a family not destined to be torn apart in a war we wanted no part in. Torn apart by a man I am now I meant to trust. A man who would either kill us or save all of us. A man who is lost. A man made of iron.

Why is always a man before the woman? All throughout history men have forced us down. They fought to keep us down. But why? Because they're afraid of us because we hold the power to end them if we wanted to. And it's is easier than snapping our fingers. But they don't want us to know that because it threatens their toxic masculinity.

We will be the ones to kill Thanos if Tony doesn't kill himself trying.


	13. Chapter 12

Why is always a man before the woman? All throughout history men have forced us down. They fought to keep us down. But why? Because they're afraid of us because we hold the power to end them if we wanted to. And it's easier than snapping our fingers. But they don't want us to know that because it threatens their toxic masculinity.

We will be the ones to kill Thanos if Tony doesn't kill himself trying.

Tony would almost certainly end up sacrificing himself to save the world he did have a bit of a death wish if I'm honest. But he has to know there is a way where he doesn't die. A way where everyone lives. A way that is so easy to pull off no one would think of it. A way that involves trust, ghosts, magic and maybe a bit of physics. All I needed was...

While I was in the middle of my thoughts I heard something hit the barrier. Something large and dangerous. Over the speakers, I could hear the others talking and the all too familiar sound of burning flesh.

I shot Wanda a pleading look attempting to get permission to go and help. Because for too long I've sat in the shadows and watched, soon I'll be out of practice and I've been training for too long for that to happen.

It would be even more of a waste of childhood than mine already was. I'm 14 yet I haven't had one day that seems normal. And today was no exception.

Today I'm in a country that wants nothing to do with the rest of the world, standing next to my sister whose nickname is the Scarlet Witch and her sentient toaster of a boyfriend about to run away to fight a giant alien who looks like a grape and his minions when I could be helping my friends plan a float for the New York City Pride parade. Life is messed up sometimes.

"Yulia I'm going out there. Stay here with Shuri and Vision. Please. I've already lost my twin brother I don't need to lose my little sister again."

"Fine but one scratch on you and I'm coming with the intent to kill everyone no matter what."

The thing is Wanda had already lost me. The me she thought I was. It was just a figment of her imagination. And I mean who listens to their siblings? Certainly, not the girl who's whole life has revolved around a fight. But this fight isn't about causing chaos but stopping it. And I wanted to help. In the words of a friend, 'I have red in my ledger and I'd like to wipe it out.'

"Can you handle this yourself?" I asked the guards present motioning a gesture which I hoped could explain what I couldn't find the words for.

They simply nodded their heads and saluted me. It was nice to be around army personnel again.

"Shuri I'm going out there I know how to win," That was all I had to say for her to let me go and hopefully save her brother.

Before I left I had to try to use a power I haven't since I was a kid with Kat and Ruby. My telepathy. Reach out to the other avengers and try to tell them what to do and hope that for once they'd listen to a kid.

Now I know you probably think they're older they have more experience. Well fuck that. I know how to win and if they won't listen half of everything will die and I'm not going to let that happen. I can't lose my family, not again.

"So are you sure this will work Yulia?" Kat asked as I landed in the middle of the battlefield already fighting.

"If it doesn't, I'll be joining you kit kat so let's be positive. Please."

"I'll try."

"How's it looking up there boys?" I asked Sam and Rhodey through my earpiece.

"Could use some help if you want to go out of the barrier." Sam said back.

"Or stay with Vision like you were meant to young lady!" Rhodey responded in over protective mode.

"Not an option any more."

"Did you kill him or something?"

"Vision situation."

From there I only remember flashes:

"You will die if you lay a finger on my sister bitch!"

"That was really gross." = Natasha Romanoff, 2017.

Thor blowing everything up.

Steve attempting to fight off Thanos by hand.

Sam going down.

Wanda killing the toaster before watching him die again and I have to admit I felt sorry for her.

"Well this is fun."

Thanos winning.

Them not following my fucking plan.

Though by that point my mind was completely shut down. Sadly it was too late I couldn't save my sister. I was the only Maximoff left and I didn't want to be here. Not with all this death filling up my head and drowning out any good left in it.

It took a few hours hugs and food before I was willing to exit my mind and talk but by that point we'd arrived back in New York and my hair had started turning red which according to Natasha is 'completely normal' given our backgrounds and childhoods.

"Hey little widow how are you?" Nat asked as she sat next to me on the couch.

"My sister's dead. My brother's dead. My parents are dead. My best friends are dead. How am I supposed to be? The only person I consider family who is alive is you. I just want to curl up and die myself."

"Hey it's OK you can live here with me I'll teach you Russian, Steve can teach you history, Bruce can teach you science, Thor can teach you geography, and tony can teach you math. And you can come on missions with me."

"Nat I appreciate it but you all have your own lives. I'll just go back to school and make them proud," I said.

"Maybe we should go to Clint's farm for a weekend. Or Sharon's aunt had a place in England. Or Tony has a place in Brazil or Hawaii? We should take a break together and figure out all of this shit. And maybe I can take you to Sokovia at some point and I can show you what Wanda showed me, and maybe even if we don't we can find some movies and curl up here and binge watch a bunch of movies. Or we can kill someone, that's always a good way to get rid of emotion."

"You know what, lets kill Tony."

"No. Let's kill Thanos, make a girl team up and kill the mad titan."

"Doesn't sound like fun btu let's fucking to this shit. I want to kill the motherfucking bitch that killed my sister."


	14. Chapter 13

"You know what let's kill Tony."

"No. Let's kill Thanos, make a girl team up and kill the mad titan."

"Doesn't sound like fun but let's fucking to this shit. I want to kill the motherfucker that killed my sister."

The 5 years between the snap and getting people back where confusing fun, tough times. It all really started the day Carol arrived, that was 23 days after the snap.

It took us 25 days from the death of 50% of life in the universe to the death of the mad titan. The journey to his death was long (kinda, it felt like it) and hard but there were some bright spots along the way, such as the story I'm about to tell you.

It was 23 days after the snap. I was outside practicing with Ryby, Kat & Pietro. That was all I could bring myself to do for 23 days. 23 long days. 23 days with no sign of those who died. But then something a glowing someone, landed at the edge of the training field.

I had yelled 'Hey! You can't go in there.' to the person approaching the building while chasing them. What I didn't know at that point was I was talking to the original Avenger, Carol Danvers a.k.a. CaptainMarvel. Who would later become one of my legal guardians along with my former enemy Natasha and a Viking Goddess.

2 days and one Tony Stark later we were sat in her space ship ready to go kill a bitch.

'No one throws up, please.' Requested Carol, 'And there are oxygen providing pins in the rear when we arrived at Thanos''

Space. The final frontier. Maybe. Maybe I'd find out Star Wars actually happened. Or I'd get to kill the person who killed my sister.

But truly what I was doing singing the 'Little Einsteins' theme to Natasha, in Russian, who was laughing at my antics.

'We should talk more about living arrangements and about what happened when we got back.'

'Of course'

'I had an idea about it.'

After that day life changed for me in more ways than anyone knows. I've not been to school since but I've learnt more about than I ever could've there however Brooklyn wasn't so pleased when I returned.

That time was instead split between space with Carol and Earth with Nat and the ghosts. I spent school term in space and summers on earth helping Nat basically run the world when no one else would.

5 years on top of 12 so not seeing Wanda wasn't the worst thing to ever happen. But everything that came after was, but that that is a stay for a later time.

Our next story is from 3 years after the snap when me and Nat went to San Fran to figure out what happened to someone Nat cared about. And I met a friend. But that's not the main story. The main story is that of us nearly being killed by someone I now call my sister.

'Yelena, Yelena come out wherever you are,' Natasha had whispered as we snuck around a cornfield maze as we were either chased or chasing Yelena Belova. A very deadly game of maze laser tag. But with actual guns. With bullets. And two of the world's deadliest assassins and a teenage girl with angel wings. Who herself was guarding a fellow teen in an insect-based costume. But it was better than that weird spider kid.

'Or Natalia you come out and play with me,' a voice responded.

'Time to fly, wasp girl,' I told Cassie.

'This isn't what I had planned for training, Y,' Cassie responded flipping her helmet down.

'Neither was what I went through but trust me this is better than that Cas. You still have a lot to learn and when Hope and your dad get back they'll train you until then we have segments of audio recordings from the FBI. So let's go see what we can see.'

'Look Natakya pretty birds in the air. We should shoot them down like we did in the Red Room.'

'Yelena do not do that, they're not trying to hurt you. They're simply training on how to use their wings, they're not with me. I tried to get them to leave but they wouldn't.'

'Well, well, is Natasha trying to save them. What are they your little pets?'

'More like the girl about to knock you out and her friend,' I said from behind her as I hit her over the head with a brick.

'Who are you anyway little ones? You don't look Red Ro-' I shoved a sock in her mouth before she could say anymore.

'I'm not. Neither of us were but we are here to help Nat, so only talked when you are asked a question or I will put another of Bruce Banner's gym socks in your mouth. Understood?' I asked trying to show Cas something that resembled an interrogation.

'Stop scaring her, all I want to know is if she still has the necklace I gave her.'

She spat out the sock to answer, 'Is that all this was about the necklace you gave me all those years ago?'

'It belonged to Wanda Maximoff and before her a high ranking member of HYDRA. I need it because it dulls abilities gained through infinity stones. I want it for Yulia here. She keeps seeing ghosts, more than me and you do.'

'It's in my back pocket.'

'You kept it on your person?'

'You told me to keep it safe and where's safer than on one of the only surviving Widows and one of the deadliest assassins in the world?'

'I honestly thought you'd give it to Daisy or even that Jemma girl. Or Alexei.'

'You told me to keep it so I kept it. We are sisters after all Natasha.'

From that day on I could choose fully when I used my abilities all of them. Even my ability to see ghosts, though I kept those I like and got rid of the bad ones, including Thanos. Who'd been following me around for a while now actually but I kept ignoring him and his speeches about balancing the universe. For gods' sake, the world wasn't a torque equation in Carol's physics class or even Tony's more confusing Quantum Physics class.


	15. Chapter 14

'You told me to keep it so I kept it. We are sisters after all Natasha.'

From that day on I could choose fully when I used my abilities all of them. Even my ability to see ghosts, though I kept those I like and got rid of the bad ones, including Thanos. Who'd been following me around for a while now actually but I kept ignoring him and his speeches about balancing the universe. For gods' sake, the world wasn't a torque equation in Carol's physics class or even Tony's more confusing Quantum Physics class.

"Wait I missed Tony's wedding! And he has a child?" I asked Steve as I trailed behind him like a lost puppy now that Nat and Wanda were both gone.

I'm sorry I jumped ahead of myself a little bit. Last I talked to you we were interrogating Yelena but now we're sitting around talking to the others about how the revamp of the universe is going before we knew it, the meeting ended.

"Have we considered all the options? I mean we have to be able to do something," Nat asked.

"Nat there's nothing we can do."

"We could kill her."

"Natasha, we are not killing her!"

"Why not?"

"Because we're playing the Barbie Mermaidia game! There is no option to kill Barbie. It's made for 6 year olds not assassins!" I responded, getting up from my seat, "PBJ or ramen?"

"PBJ, little one. Get yourself something with vegetables!" she yelled back at me.

"So should I have ramen, borscht or porgis?"

"BORSCHT! More veggies!" she yelled back as I smiled at Steve who was using the laundry off the kitchen.

"Borscht?" I offered him as I put the leftovers in the microwave and began making Nat's sandwich.

"No thanks. Is she OK?" he asked.

"She wants to kill Barbie, other than that much the same. She's doing as well as she can, she lost a lot more than anyone realizes. But she's OK," I responded.

"How about you?" he asked.

That's the question. If I answer honestly he'll make me come to his stupid therapy group. But if I don't he'll see through the lie. Honestly though how was I? I haven't seen any of the snap victims, so where were they?

"I'm doing as well as you'd expect. I lost my sister again. I lost a large chunk of people I cared about and now Nat's not even Nat. I just want a normal life for once. One without all this crap. Without wings, and superheroes. I've also been wondering a lot," I told him opting for a half truth.

"Wondering about what?" He asked genuinely concerned.

"About what life would be like had that bomb never dropped where would that Yulia be and what would she be doing now. I'm nearly 19 and have no clue what I'm doing, I still look 15 but I don't know why. I just for once want to know what it's like to be normal."

"Trust me normal is overrated. Being special isn't," he responded.

"I wouldn't know. I've never had a chance to know. I just want that chance. That's all. Even if I didn't take it. It's Just i want to be offered the chance to be normal for a week or day."

"Well I'm going to finish my laundry. Maybe you could show me something you've been working on since last week?"

"OK enjoy your laundry, I'm going to eat my food and train with some ghosts. Then I got babysitting duties for one of Nat's friends."

"Well have fun."

I like the red by the way. It's very Natasha or Wanda undercover."

"Hey Steve can I ask you a question? If you were able to upload a person you knew was going to die and had a family into a computer. Would you do it? And would you think it would be good for a young child?" I asked nervously. I've dedicated so much time to learn to code enough to help do this for YTony I just have this feeling and for me with Nat.

"I would but I don't know if it would help the child. Can I ask why?"

"Danvers taught me a way of doing it. I know who won't make it soon so I thought for their family's sake I could save them onto a computer. It wouldn't be the same but it would be something."

"Maybe you should, but think about how you'd feel if it was you," he told me before I went to give Nat her sandwich and went about doing my own research in the lab. Listening to reports of the snap around the world while reading research papers on the ashes formed when they disappeared. All the time questioning what Steve had said to me.

Before long I'd had enough about all of the stress that always comes with thinking or listening to anything surrounding the snap. I decided to meditate and let my mind shift through dimensions until I landed on one I found peaceful enough to relax my mind and let myself have a nap.


	16. Chapter 15

"Yulia! Wake Up!"Nat yelled into my ear.

"I'm up! I'm up!" I yelled suddenly awake.

"Why German?" she asked as she handed me one of her hoodies, "Anyway, Cassie's dad's back. You missed an interrogation, and he ate my sandwich. But right now you need to get dressed we're going out until we get back you need to do some school work."

"HYDRA and why can't I come with you?" I asked fully sitting up, "and if I'm staying I'm borrowing some of your old ballet gear."

"Sure and because this is an adult-only mission and Tony doesn't like you," she told me.

"OK, but I can't guarantee anything."

*All you wanna do  
All you wanna do baby  
I think we can all agree I'm a ten amongst these threes*

"Hello, Yulia here," I said picking up my phone.

"Hey, Yulia. Do you wanna come to this sweet cafe? I'll send you the directions. You can use my motorbike and you need to leave the house at some point," Nat said through the phone.

"Or I could you know fly there," I said to her.

"OK, little one, I'll see you there."

Once I'd flown to the cafe I saw Nat, Steve and Scott waiting for me.

"Time heist? Really?" I asked Scott when I landed and we walked into the cafe.

"Not the best name but it could work," Steve told me.

Once we'd gotten into our conversation with Bruce things got weird.

"Come on, I feel like I'm the only one eating," Bruce said pushing a plate of eggs toward Scott, "Try some of that. Have some eggs."

"I'm so confused," Scott stated.

"These are confusing times," Bruce said back to him.

"Right. No, no, that's not what I meant."

"No, I get it. I'm kidding! I know. It's crazy. I'm wearing shirts now," he said jokingly as me and Nat laughed.

"Yeah! Wh...How? Why?" Scott asked him while Steve smiled into his coffee and I got my milkshake.

"Five years ago, we got our asses beaten. Except it was worse for me. Because I lost twice. First, Hulk lost, then Banner lost. Then, we all lost."

"No one blamed you, Bruce," Natasha told him.

"They should blame me," I muttered, which Nat heard glaring at me and Scott stared at me.

"I did. For years, I've been treating the Hulk like he's some kind of disease, something to get rid of. But then I started looking at him as the cure. Eighteen months in a gamma lab. I put the brains and the brawn together. And now look at me. Best of both worlds..." Bruce said raising his arms at the end while three kids walked up behind him.

"Excuse me, Mr. Hulk?" The girl said to Bruce.

"Yes?" He responded.

"Can we get a photo?" she asked him.

"100%, little person. Come on, step up," he told her handing Scott the phone, "You mind?"

"Oh yeah," Scott told Bruce.

"Thanks," Bruce told him, turning toward the kids, "Say 'green'!"

"Green!" They exclaimed.

"Did you get that?" Bruce asked.

Scott handed me the phone to give back to the kids, "Don't you wanna grab one with me? I'm Ant-Man."

"Uh oh," I mumbled.

"They're Hulk fans, they don't know Ant-Man. Nobody does," Scott said mainly to himself.

"Wait, no, no, he feels bad. No, he wants you to...he wants to... You want to take a picture with him, right?" Bruce tried to convince one of the kids to take a photo with Scott.

"Stranger danger," The boy muttered as they tried to walk away.

They continued to bicker until the kids scuttled away.

"Bruce," Steve said, "About we were saying..."

"Right. The whole time travel do-over? Guys, it's outside my area of expertise."

"Well, you pulled this off. I remember a time when that seemed pretty impossible time, too," Nat told him.

"You're right. Fine, I'll help. But I need an assistant with some knowledge of physics," Bruce said turning to me.

"No. I'm a child Bruce."

"It'd give you something to do aside from wandering around trying to find new abilities and mourning," Nat said.

"Fine but no more Russian ghost stories. They're starting to get to me," I told her. "And I'm going home."

"So after 2 hours of sleep over the past two days me and Bruce present to you a time machine, maybe," I said to Steve, Scott and Nat as they walked into the hanger.

"You should get some more sleep," Steve scolded.

"Let's try this thing," I told them.

"Okay, here we go. Time travel test number one. Scott, fire up the uh... the van thing," Bruce said.

"Breakers are set, emergency generators are on standby," Steve said double-checking them.

"Good. 'Cause if we blow the grid, I don't wanna lose Tiny here in the 1950s," Bruce said as everyone stared at him worriedly.

"Excuse me?" Scott asked.

"He's kidding," Steve said turning to Bruce to mutter, "You can't say things like that!"

"Just... It was a bad joke," Bruce said to him as I grimaced moving to stand next to Nat.

"He was kidding, right?" she muttered to me.

"I have no idea. We're talking about time travel here. Either it's all a joke, or none of it is," I told her in return.

"We're good! Get your helmet on, Scott. I'm gonna send you back a week, let you walk around for an hour, then bring you back in 10 seconds. Makes sense?" Bruce said to Scott.

"Perfectly not confusing," Scott said to Bruce putting on his helmet.

"Good luck, Scott. You got this," Steve said trying to motivate him.

"You're right. I do, Captain American," he said before he disappeared down the tunnel.

"On the count of three. 3... 2... 1!" Bruce said back to all of us.

"Uh, guys? This...this doesn't feel right," Scott, well teen Scott said to us.

"He's younger than me!" I said aloud.

"What is this?" Steve asked.

"What's going on?" Bruce asked.

"That...who is that?" Nat asked.

The Bruce pushed a bunch of buttons trying to fix the problem.

"Hold on," Bruce panicked.

"Is that Scott?" Nat realized.

"Yes, it's Scott!" Teen Scott said just before being sucked back into the tunnel only for an old man to appear.

"Ow! My back!" Old man Scott said.

"What is this?" Steve asked yet again.

"Can I get a little space here," Bruce said as I got ready for an explosion of some kind.

"Yeah yeah. Can you bring him back?" Steve said moving next to us.

"I'm working on it!" Bruce yelled frantically pushing buttons until Scott was sucked back in yet again.

"It's a baby," Steve said seriously.

"It's Scott," Bruce said.

"As a baby!" Steve yelled.

"He'll grow," Bruce tried to look on the bright side.

"Bring Scott back!" Steve yelled.

"When I say kill the power, kill the power," Bruce told Nat.

"Oh my god," Nat said rushing to the power.

"And... Kill it!" Bruce yelled. Then Nat pulled the lever and everything shut down.

"Somebody peed my pants," Scott said as he got spit out of the machine.

"Oh thank god," Nat and I said in unison.

"But I don't know if it was "baby" me or "old" me...Or just "me" me," Scott said to all of us.

"Time travel!" Bruce said raising his and my arms as I grimaced yet again while Steve shook his head and walked away. "What? I..I see this as an absolute win!"

"I'm getting tacos, want any?" I asked heading toward the kitchen.

"I'll have some," Scott said following me and Nat.

"So we need someone to go get Thor and some others," Steve said to the team.

"I'll go, I want to get out of here," I volunteered.

"She can come with me and big green guy," Rocket said.

"Cool," I said.

"Not cool. Yulia are you sure?" Nat asked.

"What do you want me to do, become the teams tailor?" I asked her.

"Fine you can go," Nat said.

"Awesome," I said.

We piled into the back of a pickup truck from the middle of nowhere Norway. When we finally arrived at New Asgaard I hopped out before Bruce could to avoid the spring back of the truck.

"Kind of a step down from a from a golden palace for an Avenger highness and whatnot," Rocket said looking around.

"Hey, have a little compassion, pal. First, they've lost Asgard, then half the people. They're probably just happy to have a home," Bruce said spotting his friend.

"You shouldn't have come!" Valkyrie shouted at him.

"Ah, Valkyrie! Great to see you, Angry Girl," Bruce said.

"Hey Aunt Val," I told her in in Ye Olde Norse that she taught me when she and Carol had spent some time together.

"Hey, Yulia. I think I liked you better either of the other ways," Val said to Bruce and me.

"This is Rocket," Bruce told her, "And you seem to know Yulia."

"How you doin'?" Rocket asked.

As she eyed him she said, "He won't see you."

"That bad, huh?" Bruce asked.

" We only see him once a month, when he comes for... supplies," She said to which I took an opportunity.

"If he drinks that much then I as a child should stay here with Valkyrie, Bruce," I told him to which she laughed.

"Fine, Yulia. It's that bad," Bruce said.

"Yeah," Val told him, "I'll look after Yulia for you, I know Nat is terrifying to you."


	17. Chapter 16

After a few minutes of catching up with each other, I asked her to tell Banner and Rocket I was going and jumped until I was on Nat's quinjet.

"So, Clint went insane and is now a serial killer?" I asked as I took a seat next to her.

"So glad you could join me. And no, well yes but he has his reasons, like any of us."

"OK, so not a serial killer, just a killer who kills other killers. Because that makes everything OK," I told her, raising an eyebrow.

"If you kill a killer the number of killers in the world remains the same. If you kill more than one the number goes down," she said landing the plane.

"But revenge isn't a path well travelled by anyone."

"We need a better hobby than finding random sayings on the internet."

"Or we could do this mission and save the world, my world," I said thinking back to the last time I spoke to Wanda on our girls night before she disappeared.

"I get it, you want your sister back. But we need my friend back to get her and the others back."

"Why can't life be easy?"

"Because a life worth living is a life hard fought."

"Yeah yeah yeah, I get it Nat. Fight for what you believe in, don't trust the government and stark is an idiot. Any other life lessons you want to teach me or can we catch us a serial killer?" I asked her.

"Not today. And for the last time he's not a serial killer."

"He has killed multiple people that he had no connection with, correct?"

"Yes?"

"He's a serial killer. That's the definition of a serial killer."

"Then I'm one too, little Maximoff."

"So am I and your point is?" Then I came to a realization, "Was that meant to scare me?"

"Why do I get stuck on watching duty?" I whined to Tony and Steve.

"Because we don't know what this will do to your developing brain," Steve told me as I glared at him.

"Plus, we don't like you," Tony said to me when Steve walked away.

"Steve! Natasha! Tony's being mean to me!" I screamed, acting like a child.

"Tony play nice, she's just a kid," Nat told him.

"Why do they side with you?" he asked me.

"I'm sweet, nice and I make cookies for them," I told him, "The way to the captain's heart is through chocolate chip cookies."

"Steve, she's a bitch," Tony said, moving away from me.

"Language!" I yelled back going to the briefing room ready for the briefing.

"Okay, so the "how" works. Now we gotta figure out the when and the where. Almost all of us has had an encounter with at least one of the six Infinity Stones," Steve told the team.

"Well I'd substitute the word encounter for damn well near been killed by one of the six Infinity Stones," Tony spoke up.

"I nearly destroyed one," I said, shrugging.

"We only have enough Pym Particles for one round trip each, and these stones have been in a lot of different places throughout history," Bruce said.

"Our history. So, not a lot of convenient spots to just drop in," Tony added.

"Which means we have to pick our targets," Clint told the room.

"Correct," Tony replied.

"Let's start with the Aether. Thor, what do you know?" Steve said as all of our heads turned to Thor in the corner, with his sunglasses on it was impossible to tell if he was asleep or not.

"Is he asleep?" Nat asked.

"No I think he's dead," Rhodey replied.

"I'll find out," I told them, picking up a pen and throwing it across the room at him, hitting him square on the head.

He woke up straight after and I could feel him glaring at me, "Where to start? Umm... The Aether, first, is not a stone, someone called it a stone before. It's more of a... an angry sludge thing, so... someones gonna need to amend that. Here's an interesting story though, many years ago... My grandfather had to hide the stones from the Dark Elves..." He wiggles his fingers to imitate a spooky ghost, "Wooooh, scary beings. So Jane, oh, there she is. That's Jane... She's... an old flame of mine... She... she stuck her hand inside a rock this one time... and then the Aether stuck itself inside her... And, she became very, very sick. So I had to take her to Asgard, which is where I'm from. And we had to try and fix her. We were dating at the time, you see. I got to introduce her to my Mother... who's dead," he started to look broken, and seemed on the verge of tears, "and oh you know, Jane and I aren't even dating anymore, these things happen though you know, nothing last forever," Tony started to push him back to his chair in an attempt to quieten him, "I'm not done yet, the only thing permanent in life is impermanence."

"Awesome. Eggs? Breakfast?" Tony asked the group.

"I'd like a Bloody Mary, thank you," Thor said as I scoffed.

"And I'd like my family to be alive and yet here we are," I told him getting up to go to the kitchen, "So do it yourself, asshole."

"Quill said he stole the Power Stone from Morag," Rocket said, pacing on the table.

"Is that a person?" Scott said while I played on my phone.

"Morag's a planet. Quill was a person," Rocket snapped out.

"A planet? Like in outer space?" Scott looked like a small boy going to go to the museum for the first time.

"Oh, look. It's like a little puppy, all happy and everything. [Imitating talking to a puppy] Do you wanna go to space? You wanna go to space, puppy? I'll get you to space," Rocket said to Scott as I raised my hand and he high five me.

"Oh god why were you two introduced," Nat muttered into her fork.

"Thanos found the Soul Stone on Vormir," Nebula informed us back in the meeting room.

"What is Vormir?" Natasha asked seriously, taking notes with me.

"A dominion of death, at the very center of Celestial existence. It's where... Thanos murdered my sister," Nebula told her. Nat looked up, and an awkward silence fell upon the room. She writes what Nebula has just said.

"Not it," Scott tried to joke to the crowd.

Nat and Tony were laying on the table with all of their papers scattered around them, while Bruce was on the floor and I was lounging in the desk chair, braiding Nat's hair. When the time stone popped up on the monitor.

"That Time Stone guy..." Nat started.

"Doctor Strange," Bruce spoke.

"Yeah, what kind of doctor was he?" I asked the group.

"Ear-nose-throat meets rabbit from a hat," Tony told me.

"Nice place in the village, though," Bruce said awkwardly.

"Yeah. Sullivan Street," Tony said.

"Hmm... Bleecker," Bruce corrected him.

"Wait, he lived in New York?" Nat asked looking up at me seeing if I connected the dots.

"No. He lived in Toronto," Tony said.

"Guys, if you pick the right year, there are three stones in New York," Me and Natasha said in unison.

"Shut the front door," Bruce said, sitting up faster than I ever could.

"How many PhD.s do you have between you again? Because it sure seems like a teenage girl and a former ballerina outsmarted two of the smartest people in the world," I said cheekily.

"So you guys have a plan?" Steve asked standing in the doorway.

"We sure do," I told him, there was a gnawing thought at the back of my mind but I wasn't sure what it was.

As they all walked into the hanger I had to yell at them, the urge was not something I couldn't overcome.

"STOP BEING SO DRAMATIC!" I screeched at them, "You're not models your superheros who have to go and save my sister and everyone else who went snap. OK this is not the time for drama this is the time for action and if I can't come with you, you're going to do this as though I'm hunting you down until you get the stones. Kapeesh?"

"Yes ma'am," Steve told me, while some of the others looked at me scared.

"I like you," Nebula told me.

"So do I," said Rocket.

"Love you little one, I'll see you real soon," Nat said to me as they all climbed the stairs to their doom.

"Wait!" I said causing everyone to stop, "Can I have a hug, Nat?"

"Sure, come here," She said as I ran up to her, giving her a hug that I hoped conveyed how much I love her and look up to her, "I love you, Yulia. If anything happens to me you know where everything is buried and I want you to find Yelena and Melina and give them the boxes marked for them. And you and Wanda get my apartment in little Odessa. Everything will be OK. I'll be OK. But if I'm not you have to move on and be brave for me. I love you Yulia, you're like my little sister." She spoke to me softly in Russian.

"OK, but if anything happens to you, I'm killing whoever is responsible or guiltiest," I told her going down the steps.

"Yulia, go to the control room and flick the switch, we've got it from there," Bruce told her as she walked away.

"Cool. I love you Nat, Steve, little raccoon thing! Nebula, keep being a badass!" I yelled, flicking the switch as Steve gave the team a pep talk.

When they arrived back a minute later, I stood up. I then noticed something. Nat. Where was Natasha?

"W...W...Nat?" I screamed at Clint trying to calm my breath, "She said you would protect her, that you would make sure her fate changed! She knew she was going to her doom and she thought you would stop it! That's why we came to find you! YOU BASTARD! YOU WERE MEANT TO KEEP HER SAFE!! AND WHERE IS SHE ASSHOLE! WHERE IS NAT! WHERE IS MY MENTOR," I kept yelling at him while Steve ran up to me to calm me down.

"It's OK Yulia, she might be late and anyway I'm sure Clint tried his hardest," He tried to sooth me as I cried into his shoulder giving up on yelling at Clint.

"I don't think he did, I really don't think he did, Steve," I cried.

"It's OK, just breathe. It'll be OK, it'll be OK. We can bring her back. And Wanda and maybe Pietro," Tony told me.

"Kid, I'm sorry," Clint said as I tried to grab Nebula's sword to stab him but Steve stopped me.

"Violence isn't the answer, Yulia. What would Nat do?" Steve asked me.

"She'd get revenge, Steve. She'd forgive and then stab him as Brutus did to Caesar," I said looking up at him hurt. Natasha was my only family left, none of these other people had become family. So what was I meant to do now? My parents are dead. My sister's gone. Pietro's gone. Kat, Ruby both gone. Now Nat. Who do I have left in this world? Steve? Not really, sure he's kinda like a brother but he doesn't know Russian and he doesn't know what the experiments feel like when not done in safe American labs. Tony? No, he hates my guts. Carol? She's in space too much. Kate. I still have Kate, though currently, I don't know where she is or if she's alive since the last time I spoke to her.

I have no one. SO I have nothing to lose. If this doesn't work I can find Kate and hope she and Steve can become my family, but if it does I might have everyone back except my parents. I have to make that happen, I just can't have ghost Nat appear otherwise she's actually dead, well as dead as Pietro which isn't very dead. I mean it's deader than Wanda but still not that dead.

Death's confusing truly.

I was spiralling at this point, on the floor of the hanger just waiting for it all to dissolve into the stream of consciousness when Steve spoke to me, "Yulia why don't I take you to Nat's room and you can have a nap while we discuss this as adults?" All I could do was nod in response and try to push myself off the ground unsuccessfully. "Don't worry I can carry you," Steve told me as he picked me up, my brain still whirling at the thought of Nat being dead.

Once I was in her room and Steve was sure that I was safe I got up and walked over to her closet to see the message she told me to look at in a situation like this, it brought a smile to my face: "A Widow Never Really Dies Yulia, and I will always be with you in your heart. I love you little M."

"A widow never really dies," I muttered to myself curling up in her old winter coats for a nap. It smelt of her that's the only reason I did it truly. I miss her so much.


	18. Chapter 17

Once I was in her room and Steve was sure that I was safe I got up and walked over to her closet to see the message she told me to look at in a situation like this, it brought a smile to my face: "A Widow Never Really Dies Yulia, and I will always be with you in your heart. I love you little M."

"A widow never really dies," I muttered to myself curling up in her old winter coats for a nap. It smelt of her that's the only reason I did it truly. I miss her so much.

Sleeping is never a good thing. Whenever I do it something bad happens. Last time, Carol got ejected from the spaceship. And the time before that Wanda was arrested. Now a missile was about to hit all of the things I have left to remind me of those I love. I just had to remember what Dr. Strange had taught me about protection spells, and quickly.

Oh just forget it, a blast of energy should do it. Or a shield. Why did my sister have to be an avenger? Why not an accountant? Actually never mind she was always terrible at math but you get the idea. Instead of saving the world, she could be saving someone $100 tax credits. But no, she had to be a superhero. She could've been a supervillain but no she had to be nice to people. Stupid Wanda.

But I did it. I always do. I always protected her and the only bit of her left was her room. So I protected it and hid it so they wouldn't hit it with another strike. I hope. I don't have either of them anymore so I have to save what I do have of them.

Though as I found myself a place to hide and search for where my allies could be I started to feel life trickle back into the world. Maybe Nat's sacrifice was worth it. But maybe Clint Barton is now my nemesis. I had to fight the feeling of life returning to the world before it overwhelmed me.

But I fought it, as I always do. I fought it till I heard the sound of three people who share one brain cell starting a fight they couldn't win.

"Idiots! I'm constantly surrounded by idiots!" I told myself aloud, preparing myself mentally for a fight as I got up from Natasha's coat and dusted myself off and ran next door to Wanda's room to grab my spare suit and got changed as quickly as I could.

"All they had to do was not get themselves killed and what did they go and do, start a fight that would kill them. What a wonderful idea that is!" I muttered to myself as I snuck around the ruins of my old home trying to locate the idiots I now call family.

As I rounded the biggest pile of rubble I overheard some of the mandatory villain speech, Did I ever do that? I thought before listening to the rest of the speech. "In all my years of conquest– violence– slaughter– It was never personal. But I'll tell you now– what I'm about to do to your stubborn, annoying little planet– I'm gonna enjoy it. Very, very much."

"Give me a break! Why do you want to do this Purple grape dude? Why not just create more resources for the people already here in the universe, you're snap took away half the greenery too so you didn't solve the problem you just gave us less brain power to work on a solution," I stated quietly, going to stand next to Steve who laughed at me complaining about how he went about killing half the population.

"You're alive, I thought we'd have to explain to Wanda two deaths not just one," Steve whispered to me as I got ready to fight.

"If you'd done that you would've had at least two more deaths," I told him.

"Hey, Cap, you read me?" Sam asked through the earpiece, taking me back to when I first met the avengers. But Steve stopped mid motion at the sound of his best friend's voice through the radio system. "Cap, it's Sam. Can you hear me?" I can already picture him trying to explain to Wong how he has to be on Steve's left. "On your left." And bingo I was right.

I turned and smiled at Shuri giving her a look that I hope conveyed every question I had about my sister and her, only receiving a small nod in return. She was back. I laughed a moment later when I saw the hundreds of portals open and through each allies poured and turned to Steve and gave him a smile and a determined nod as he patted my shoulder giving me a knowing look before the others emerged from underneath the facility and Banner pointed to Wanda, giving me a happy look before I gave him a thumbs up.

"Oh god," I mumbled as I realized what Steve was about to say.

"AVENGERS!" He said looking at me and giving me a nod to finish the statement as he summoned Mjolnir.

"Assemble!" We yelled together, gaining a few laughs before that battle, it felt like he was acknowledging that I had grown up and was ready to lead the charge.

That's when the fighting broke out. We all charged ready for a fight, I fell behind the others with enhanced speed and ran beside my sister giving her a smile before we got separated in the chaos and madness of the battle.

But when I looked up from my own fighting I saw Wanda fighting Thanos and winning, smiling to myself and shooting one of the creatures behind me. Go big sister! I thought to myself before trying to make my way over to her amongst everyone fighting.

"Uh, is anyone else seeing this?" Pepper asked through the mics.

"What the hell is this?" Sam asked just afterwards.

"CAROL!" I screamed abandoning my fighting to fly up and hug her before quickly going back down to assist Wanda and the others.

"That still doesn't answer the question but OK," Pepper said into the mics.

Carol landed near Peter as I grabbed Okoye as I saw everyone heading to help her.

"Need a lift?" I asked her flying about 6 ft off the ground.

"Why?"

"Because I want this cool moment to actually happen and it's not going to if we're not there," I told her trying to pick her up without getting stabbed by her spear.

"You make no sense but OK," She told me finally letting me pick her up.

"Don't Worry," Wanda said as I dropped Okoye and got ready to fight myself.

"She's got help," Okoye told Peter.

Pepper landed next to Okoye in her Rescue armour, followed by Mantis, Shuri, Hope, Gamora and Nebula. Before we could come up with a game plan that made any sort of coherent sense Thanos' army charged at us. While we were helping Carol go through the Outriders (? I think that's what someone called them. I'm not an expert in aliens or their armies), Sakaarans and Chitauri (Again just a guess but basically we were fighting motherfucking aliens y'all). Gamora took out a gorilla, while Okoye took out Corvus Glaive. Wanda and Valkyrie destroyed two leviathans. While I made sure Peter got up and that Carol could get to the car without being killed. Carol started flying towards the van with the Gauntlet, flying past enemies and going through enemy blockades that are in her way with ease, like usual.

Thanos, seeing this, started running to Carol, but was stopped by Pepper, Shuri and Hope, who blasted him backwards. Thanos, after seeing Carol Danvers fly past him, through his double sword at the van, destroying it and the quantum realm tunnel.

"Really? Why?" I asked aloud stabbing an enemy out of annoyance.

The blast threw Carol Danvers backwards and she lost her grip on the Gauntlet, which falls to the ground. Doctor Strange steadied the water after the explosion. As the final battle for the gauntlet started I could feel everyone taking a collective breath as some of the fighting subsided so we could watch. In the final brawl for the Stark Gauntlet, Stark moved one of Thanos' enemies aside and saw the Gauntlet. He ran to get it, but saw Thanos, who Stark tackles. Thanos smacks Stark away, knocking him out.

Then Thor arrived with Stormbreaker and Mjolnir in an attempt to pin Thanos' arm down, with assistance from Steve. However, Thanos overpowered them and knocked them both out. After picking up the Gauntlet, Carol arrived, punching away at Thanos while he was holding the Gauntlet. She keeps punching him, but Thanos grabs her by the arm and flung her away. Thanos put on the gauntlet, radiation from the stones ate at him as he tried to snap, but Carol Danvers arised again, and stopped his fingers from snapping, opening up his hand similar to what Sreve did 5 years ago.

Thanos headbutted her, but it did nothing but annoy her.

Just as Carol was gaining the upper hand by rising up and forcing Thanos onto his knees, Thanos pulled the Power Stone out of the Gauntlet and used it in his free hand to hit Carol Danvers away. Stark looked in question at Strange, who simply raised one finger, reminding him of something no one else knew but could all feel in their bones. Stark nodded at him, confusing me above the scene with Valkyrie.

Thanos put the Power Stone back into the Gauntlet, and yelled from the radiation coursing through him, until Stark maked one last attack on Thanos, pulling on the Gauntlet before Thanos punched him away.

"OH god," I thought out loud before screaming, "TONY DON'T DO IT!" Though of course he still didn't listen to me, why would he? I'm still just a kid to him. A kid without parents and one living family member still on this realm of existence. Before I could do anything it was too late. Fate had sealed itself. My vision had become a reality.

Reality worked out the same way as my vision had and all I could do was watch from above and curl my body up in horror, barely able to flap my wings as I watched mesmerized by the scene unfolding below me.

"I am– inevitable," Thanos stated to Tony as he snapped his fingers, nly to notice afterward the stones were gone.

"And I– am– Iron Man," Tony said, snapping his own gauntlet. That was the moment that could have so easily been avoided if only they'd listened to me in Wakanda five years ago.

A flash of white. 10...

The enemy began to dissolve like Wanda did all those years ago.

9...

Steve and the others look around, exhausted but happy they'd won, without yet knowing the cost of their victory.

8...

Thanos sat down feeling the disintegration beginning to happen to him too.

7...

Tony stumbled to the floor next to a pile of debris.

6...

Rhodey and Steve both bow their heads knowing that he won't make it.

5...

"Mr. Stark?" Peter asked running up to his fallen mentor. Tears forming in the corner of his eyes, "Hey– Mr. Stark? Can you hear me? It's Peter. Hey. We won, Mr. Stark– We won, Mr. Stark. We won. You did it, sir. You did it." He knelt in front of Tony.

4...

Me and Valkyrie descended from the sky along with anyone else who was up there still.

With Tony being unresponsive Peter broke down before saying, "I'm sorry– Tony–"

3...

Peter was slowly picked up and led to the side by Rhodey so they could grieve together.

"Hey," Pepper said as she knelt in front of Tony.

"Hey, Pep.." Was all he could get out.

2...

Pepper put her hand on Tony's heart feeling it one last time.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" She asked the computer.

"Life functions critical," The computer program responded to her.

He smiled one last time with tears in his own eyes to the love of his life.

1...

"Tony. Look at me. We're gonna be okay. You can rest now," She assures her.

Dead. But not to me. I smiled at the two ghosts who appeared at my side before we all got too our knees to honour the man that had started it all.

"Welcome to my mind," I mumbled to Tony and Natasha beside me.

"This is for everyone we lost along the way," Tony started as he knelt.

"Even if they returned," Natasha finished before starting to list names in turn with Tony, "Gamora."

"Vision & Jarvis."

"Peggy."

"Alexander Pierce."

"The warriors three."

"My parents."

"Nick."

"Loki."

"And my brother, Pietro, Kat and Ruby," I concluded.

"Even death can't stop us all," Pietro said appearing behind me with Kat and Ruby, "We'll look after them when you can't."

"And I'll look after Morgan for you, keep an eye on her and make sure she turns out OK," I told Tony.

"You know when Natasha died and without the others resurrected yet me and Pepper chose two new godmothers for her. You and Wanda. I trust you. You'll do good kid," Tony told me as we got up and started to count our dead.

Over the course of the next week, I met up with my friends from boarding school who died in the snap and reunited with Kate, who'd been keeping in contact with me throughout all the five years of the so-called blip. I was one of the many who got to reunite with loved ones but the biggest one was Wanda. After the battle was over and we'd finished everything we could I gave her the biggest hug I could and we talked, we talked all the way from the ruined compound and the only two remaining rooms to Natasha's apartment in Little Odessa where we talked more and finally fell asleep at midnight.

During that week, me and Wanda packed up all of ours and Natasha's remaining stuff from the compound before the rebuild could begin and took it back to the apartment we now lived in together, finally.

We made plans with Kate for the Bishop foundation to do some good work in Sokovia and Wanda agreed we could all go during the summer as she wanted us to make sure we took up all the opportunities available to us. We also started to develop a program in Nat's name to do good in the states.

But of course at the end of that week was a sad day, the funeral for Tony. Those of us who wanted to had held a small ceremony in Central Park for Natasha and a few of us planned to go to the graveyard where her parents were buried in Russia and put a headstone there for her, finally with her parents and family.

The funeral was beautiful but tragic.

Afterward Tony had instructed that we all go inside the house and watch a video he'd recorded just after he figured out time travel.

As he's holographic self sat on a chair his record voice started, "Everybody wants a happy ending, right? But it doesn't always roll that way. Maybe this time. I'm hoping if you play this back, it's in celebration. I hope families are reunited, I hope we get it back, and something like a normal version of the planet has been restored. If there ever was such a thing. God, what a world. Universe, now. If you told me ten years ago that we weren't alone, let alone, you know, to this extent, I mean, I wouldn't have been surprised. But come on, you know? The epic forces of darkness and light that have come into play. And, for better or worse, that's the reality Morgan's gonna have to find a way to grow up in. So I thought I'd probably better record a little greeting... In the case of an untimely death on my part. I mean, not that, death at any time isn't untimely. This time travel thing that we're gonna try and pull off tomorrow, it's– it's got me scratching my head about the survivability of it all. That's the thing. Then again, that's the hero gig. Part of the journey is the end." Tony suddenly got up walking towards the camera, "What am I even trippin' for? Everything's gonna work out exactly the way it's supposed to," He leant down and smiled looking straight at Morgan, "I love you 3,000."

By the end of that week I'd cried more tears than I had in the rest of my life, over Tony. Over the world. Over getting Wanda back. But mostly over Nat and her death. But of course my work wasn't done not in the slightest, but I couldn't even enjoy the funeral without having to do some work, setting up the time travel contraption with Bruce, but he let me leave to mourn with Wanda and the others.

"My work won't be over for years to come, and after seeing how the adults handle the Avengers and the world I've decided I need to put together a team of teens and young people to save the world when the adults can't. For when they fail. For when they're gone. And without Tony here to help and with Carol off in space with Nick and Maria, I need someone, some women to help me do this. What do you say?" I ask the girls sitting in front of me, a princess, a newly minted billionaire, my sister, we were really a motley crew. "Can I get your help? Can I trust you to help me track down everyone in Nat's ledger? To avenge those whose voices were never heard? To save us from whatever is happening to this planet? To save the world and be an example for future generations?"


End file.
